Ayumi Yoshida: Detective of the South!
by IHKF
Summary: Seven years later, Ayumi has moved away and become the Great Detective of the south! However, members of the BO have gottan lose from prison and druged her! Will she turn back into Ayumi Yoshida, or stay as Anna Yoshida forever?OCAyu,CoAyu,OCOC,KazHei
1. Introduction

She dared what lied ahead to face her, and she laughed in the face of death. There were times where she died to live, and lived to die. Her selflessness overwhelmed her selfishness, and she had started her life over from scratch, heart at hand. She was broken, but she was something; she knew that much. She was no longer the seven-year-old Detective Boy, no. Instead, she was the great Detective of the South!

Or, that was her new-found dream anyway...

_"Yoshida-san! WATCH OUT! SOCCER BALL COMIN' YOUR WAY!"_

_Jumping up high, a slender teenage girl slammed her ankle hard into the mixed-matched ball, kicking it directly into the goal...and breaking it._

_And when I say it, I mean both the soccer ball AND goal._

_"Woo hoo! New record!" The same goalie called out. There were whistles coming from all around as she landed gracefully and perfectly onto the warm dirt beneath her. The young girl stood up and smiled towards the millions of people clapping and cheering for her. Turning to the soccer team, she said: "Sorry for the goal net...and the ball. I'll pay for the replacements." She bowed sweetly and smiled gently, not realizing she was only succeding in seducing them. A chours of "No problem's" and "Don't even worry about it's" came from the teenage boys as they silently skimmed over her model-like body. Nodding, she continued her walk. The people cleared the entire path to the school for her, cheering and whistling the entire time. It was like she was some type of wonderful princess or queen and her subjects couldn't get enough of her!_

_The thought made her smile as she walked elegently down the dirt road ahead of her. "Ayumi-chan!" Looking up, she smiled when she saw both a boy and a girl. "Kyo, Maria! Hey!" The two greeted her as well as the trio walked into the school. It was conciderably quiter than outside had been, sense everybody inside knew that loud noise-making this early in the morning would over-anger the already untolerating school principal. Maria, who resembled Sonoko an awful lot, Ayumi noticed, sighed as she un-laced her shoes. "I can't believe how long we've had this detective club going on and we still haven't had one case!" Kyo sighed. "Oh just drop it, Maria. We'll get a case when we get a case. It's not a race."_

_"That rhymed!" Ayumi giggled, slipping her shoe off. Maria scoffed and turned away. "I know I know I just...I really want to get our name out there!" Ayumi sighed. That was Maria, always worrying about her popularity and her friend's social status. To be honest, Ayumi didn't really care wheater they got a case or not, in fact, she didn't WANT her name to get out there. Because if it did..._

_She sighed, knowing that THEY would see it. And if THEY would see it, then HE would too. A glare came over her face as she slid the shoes into the little mini-locker._

__

_"I'm seriouse! We established this club one full year ago and still haven't gottan a case!" _

_And Maria continues to sizzle..._

_"I mean, there WAS that one case we solved when we were little but we just HAD to say the K.O'ed sleeping counsler did it!" Ayumi and Kyo gave eachother a look that said 'shut her up already, please!' as they walked side-by-side._

_"Maria, we get it! You really really want to solve a case!"_

_She huffed and turned away. "Yes, yes I do!" Ayumi gave Kyo a look that said 'I tried'. He only nodded and narrowed his eyes at the hallway. _

__

_"Hasn't Ayumi solved a case before? Wasn't she like, a Detective Boy at one point in time?"_

_And yet she STILL pestered on after school! _

_Ayumi shifted towards her. "Yes! USED! USED TO! USED!" Kyo shifted his head in his hand as he leaned against the window, watching the wide-screen HD TV Maria had ordered to 'freshen up the room'. (A/N: Aww, man! How awesome would that be? XD) "Well, they're famous now! That means you had to have been a LITTLE bit talented at solving cases! Which means that we should be SWAMPED with crimes that need private eyes by now!" Ayumi's face turned beat red and she sharply turned to the pot to make tea. "That was six years ago. We're in the eighth grade. Back then I was in the first." (A/N: So Ayumi is thirteen going on fourteen! ^^) _

_Maria huffed angrily and sat down in her chair with a loud THUD, signaling she slammed her butt down. "Still! They should at LEAST remember the cute little girl that was in the club, too!" Ayumi shook her head as she poured the white vanilla and cinnamon flavored tea into the mini-cups. __**Why would they? As it is, they already forgot about the little boy in the blue coat who LEAD or team... **__Six years ago, the Black Orginization had been destroyed. Therefor, Conan had let out that he was Shinichi, finding an antitdote soon after. Soon after that, Ayumi had moved away, further down south. Ayumi looked down at her pocket and pulled out a small little badge. It was her Detective Boy badge. The entire thing was a little rusty, and the colors had become a little darker sense then. She stared at it, sorrow sweeping it's merry way all throughout her veins. She slipped it back into her pocket and set the cups onto the tray. "Here, guys." She served her friends their little porcelain teacups and set the tray down, taking her own and sipping it._

_"Ayumi-chan? Why is it that everytime we bring up the Detective Boys you always try to change the subject?" A crack came on the handle to Ayumi's cup and she twitched her eyebrow, trying not to break. "Isn't it obvious?" The two turned towards Kyo, who had turned the TV off and was staring out the window, contently watching two birds play. He resembled Conan/Shinichi, Ayumi had taken into mind when she first met him. "Something bad happened and she doesn't like talking about it." His bored expression clung like hijackers to his face. Maria instantly slammed down her cup. "WHAT? AYUMI-CHAN! WHAT HAPPENED?" _

_"Careful, Maria! That's expensive!"_

_"I don't care! I'm flithy rich! I'll replace them! WHAT HAPPENED?"_

_"What do you mean what happened?"_

_"WHAT HAPPENED? AS IN WHAT HAPPENED IN THE DETECTIVE BOYS THAT YOU DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT?"_

_"SHUT UP!"_

_Instantly, their attention adveted to Kyo again, who timidly turned to them with a small smile on his face. "She'll tell us when she's ready to, Maria. Patience." The french girl huffed and took a seat, mumbling something about him being a 'know it all' or 'he'll ask her later'. Ayumi, though, gave him her own soft smile. He may have looked like Conan, but truth be told Kyo understood her a lot better than he or anybody else did. "Screw you guys, I'm taking out my labtop."_

_"Checking your Gmail?"_

_"Opposit of no."_

_Ayumi and Kyo both groaned at her 'The Clique' refrence. Maria was quite the fan of Lisi Harrison. The two of them turned to eachother, having a mental discussion._

_**Should we burn all of her books?~Ayumi**_

_**No, then she'll try to banish us from 'The Pretty Commitee.'~Kyo**_

_**HAHAHAHAHAHA!~Ayumi**_

_**Nah, just let her have her fun. This is her monthly obsession. She'll get over 'lip-kissing' and 'sand-me-downs' soon enough.~Kyo**_

_"EHMAGAWD!" The sudden abrupt screech made both detectives fall out of their chairs. _

_"What?"_

_"WE TOE-TA-LLY GOT OUR FIRST CASE!"_

_In a few split seconds, both Ayumi and Kyo were behind the rich blonde as her face lit up like a christmas tree. "A murder on Second Corner, Mallberry Street! One stab-wound to the chest! POLIE STUMPED!" Had this been any other situation, the three of them would have looked like they were the murders or highly disrespectful. However, it wasn't a diffrent case, and they had a very good reason to be excited over somebody's death. "WOO HOO! WE'RE WORKING OUR WAY UP!"_

"The murderer is you, Suzuka!" A raven-haired woman gasped as Ayumi pointed the finger towards her. Kyo and Maria stood behind her with looks of accomplishment on their faces. It had been a full year sense their first case. They had offically solved One-hundred murders, this being their one-hundred-first. "Wh-What?"

"You stuck your gum on the window, framing your sister, who had been chewing gum earlier. You then came in through the door, which you knew was really unlocked, knowing it would throw us off track concidering you told us he LOCKED his door when you were giving us the tour. You shot him in the neck with a poison dart, then stabbed him in the back with Cartmen's pocket knife, hoping that we might charge him with the crime, or charge the both of them. That's why he couldn't find his knife earlier when we were cooking and the knives were dirty. You took a bath in his shower, supposedly covering your alaby of bathing, and locked the door before closing it on your way out."

"That's only speculation!"

Ayumi smirked and turned to her friends. "Search her pockets."

They nodded and started to cautiously walk towards her. "N-No! Y-You've got it all wrong! I-I didn't...AH!" Taking the sword out of the staue-knight's hand, she charged towards Ayumi, swinging the weapon meniachlly. Ayumi simply gave her an upper-cut, then she kicked her in the stomach, forcing Suzuka to let go of the sword. As the woman landed on the floor, Ayumi caught the flailing sword. The murderer sat up, only to come face-to-face with her own weapon of choice. Ayumi stood there, hovering above her. "Aun guarde'." A sly smile spread over her face as Suzuka fainted.

"Ayumi-chan? What was her motive?"

"Simple. He was winning the divorce. SHe didn't want him to win all of her cash so she killed him."

"What about framing her sister and Cartmen?" Kyo asked, as curious as Maria was. "Well, her sister and Cartmen were both supporting HIM on the side of the divorce, and she wanted to take them down too."

Just then, the police walked by, Suzuka in their grasps. "I've got to hand it to you. You're an amazingly smart detective. Maybe even good enough to be professional. You should get a part-time job as the police department. Or a job." Smiling, Ayumi watched the raven-haired woman glare at her. She wasn't being sarcastic, but she was very upset with what she was saying. Ayumi shook her head. "Crime-solving isn't a job to me. It's a hobby." Suzuka scoffed as the two guards took her away. "You've done it again, oh great Detective of the South." Ayumi laughed at her friends' little nickname for her. However, it was truly something she was called all over Japan. "All of this crime-solving has made me hungry. I want Denny's."

"There arn't any Denny's here, Maria. This is Japan."

"I want IHop!"

"Once again, no IHops."

"CHILIES!"

"STOP IT!"

As her two friends resumed arguing, Ayumi took out a tiny pendent, smiling down at it. "I wonder how you all are now." She whispered gently staring at the new, freshly coated Detective Boy badge.

Alright! That's it for this chapter! ^^ Please please please review! Should I continue this story? Thanks!

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Detective Conan or The Clique by Lisi Harrison! I DO Own Kyo and Maria, though! OH! And Suzuka! XD


	2. The Last Day as Ayumi Yoshida!

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN YOU SPIN ME RIGHT ROUND OR DETECTIVE CONAN! I DO, however, own Maria and Kyo.

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"KYYOOOOOO! HURRY UP! I WANT TO RIDE THE ROLLAR COASTER!" Kyo tagged along, laughing as Maria and Ayumi ran ahead, sucking on cotton candy flavored lollipops and eating cotton candy. He watched as Ayumi opened her mouth wide and took a big bite out of her big, fluffly, multicolored, cloud of sugar before returning to suck on her lollipop. He laughed even harder when he saw little bits of puff clinging all along her top lip. Upon seeing this, Maria bursted out laughing as well. "Wh-what?" They both shook their heads and hid their laughter a little better. "Nothing. Hey, come here!" Ayumi stopped as he ran up to her. "What?"

"Hold still."

A blush crossed her cheeks as he ran his finger above her lip and licked the remaining sweets off his thumb. "There, all gone." Turning back towards her, he noticed her red-as-a-tomato face and started to laugh. All she did was stand there and shiver a little. "Awww, stupid love birds! Hurry!" Maria called, stomping her foot childishly and crossing her arms impatiently. "Coming, coming! Come on!" Kyo grabbed Ayumi's numb hand and pulled her after Maria.

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"WHOOOOOO!" The french rich girl screamed in delight as Ayumi screamed in horror and Kyo sat there holding the handle tightly, laughing. The car went down and Maria screamed even louder, Kyo's laughing becoming full-blown LOL's. Screeching like a trapped woman in SAW, Ayumi grabbed onto his shoulder with one hand and the handle with the other. Kyo turned to her and smiled, slipping his hand over her's, earning a velvet red blush from her as the large turn came up. Ayumi's screams were no longer of sheer terror but of pure joy.

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The song 'You Spin Me Right Round' came on in the speakers as the threesome sat in one of the teacups and spun around in circles. "FASTER, KYO, FASTER!" Maria laughed, holding a hand to her mouth. He huffed and stopped. "That's it. Ayumi!" He complained. She only nodded and grabbed onto the round wheel and started to spin them uncontrolably, laughing at Maria's sudden green face. "STOOOOoooOOOOooooOOPPP! THIS CRAZY THIIIIiiiiIIIiiiIING!" Kyo yelped in suprise and started 'WOOT WOOT'ing.

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The trio laughed happily as they retreated from the park, their faces glowing with joy. "That was so freckin' fun!" Maria giggled as she popped a starburst into her mouth. "We defenitly need to go back some time! The Tropical Island here is a lot better than anywhere else!" Ayumi nodded in agreement as she held a locket between her fingers. Kyo had won it for her the last time they went to Tropical Island and she had never taken it off. It had a picture of all three of them inside of it. It said in little incription 'The South High Detectives'. After all, that was the name of their group. The three stopped abrubtly as a large gunshot was heard and the screams of people flooded their ears.

"We better go check this out!" Ayumi stated. "Ayumi! We should wait for the crowd to clear first-" Kyo tried to finish but Ayumi had already ran off into the tide of horror."AYUMI!" They both called.

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_Shoot...where did it come from? _Ayumi turned the corner down a dark alley, following the sound. (A/N: That should have been her first clue...) "Hello? She called, searching for a dead body, or maybe somebody near-death. "Target lost." _Huh?_

Ayumi looked to her left to see a man standing there, talking to a man in a long black drench coat, the same attire he was wearing. "We've lost Aiko's track. She's literally wiped her footsteps clean."(A/N: FORESHADOWING!)

"So what, the bullet didn't hit her?"_ Oh my god! These are the men in black that druged Shinchi-kun!_

"Her skills are more remarkable than Shiho's." _Shiho's? Who's Shiho?_

"Curse it all. We'll kill her next time." _I've gotta' do something about this!_

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" The two men turned around.

Ayumi stood there, determination written all over her face. Her fists were clenched and her body was standing tall, tensed. The two got into a fighting stance. "Is that so, girly?" One lunged at her in an attempt to punch her. Ayumi moved out of the way with ease, sending a hard kick into the BO member's back. He landed with a thud onto the ground as his partner came at her, weilding a dagger. Ayumi broke the lid off the dumpster and blocked herself with it. (A/N: So ironic how anime charecters can be so resourceful, right? XD) Taking a step back, she forced herself forward, sending the other guy crashing into the wall. By this time, the other one had gottan up and was charging at her again. Dropping the sheild, she blocked his oncoming throws with her lower arms, crossing them over as an X shape. When he finally broke through, she sent a punch into his stomach, making him take several steps back. Ayumi continued to send kicks to his head, knowing he was too stunned to defend himself.

He soon woke up from his amazment and grabbed her foot, trying to push her backwards. Instead, Ayumi hopped her other foot across his head, twisting her entire body and sending him flying. The brunette heard running footsteps aproaching her. Turning around, Ayumi's cheek was scratched by the dagger, barley avoiding it. "You little PEST!" Ayumi hopped into the air, dodging his sudden attack and throwing a hard kick to his face, knocking him out. By the time she landed, Ayumi was breathing heavily as the two BO members slept. Police sirens sounded wildely throghout the streets. A smile came to Ayumi's face when her friend ran up to her, bursting out of the police car door. "AYUMI!" The two took turns giving her a hug. "Oh my god! What happened here?" Kyo gasped, scanning the two fainted men. "Uhhh...Dead or Alive scene?" Ayumi joked, laughing a little.

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A sigh escaped her lips as Ayumi lad down against her pink covers, the stars twinkling outside her bedroom window. "So..." She grasped her cheek, holding the cut which was covered by a band-aid. "The Black Organization is back, huh? I'll have to get in contact and warn Shinichi-kun." His name tasted so sour coming from her lips. It burnt her tounge and made it tingle. He hurt her. The secrets he kept from her, his being in love with Rachel...his not having feelings for her. She screamed to herself and slid onto her side, deciding to not think about it anymore.

If only she had turned on her TV to see that the BO members had escaped...

In the middle of the night, the runaways broke into the Yoshida residence, her parents being away on a buisness trip. "Heheh...Yoshida Ayumi. Prepare to feel the consequences of messing with the Black Organization..." Turning the heavy sleeper onto her side, one opened her mouth while the other squirted a bottle in. Laughing evilly, Gin and Vodka escaped the house.

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Ayumi opened her eyes gently, feeling the sun beating on her lids. "Morning already?" She spoke groggily, sitting up. Turning to her room, she rose an eyebrow. "Huh, could've sworn my bed wasn't so far up." She slid off of her bed, heading to the bathroom. She rose her eyebrow quizzingly again. "What the heck? When'd the counters go over my head?" Grabbing a stool, she placed in in front of the granit. Stepping onto it, she took a look in the mirror. She gasped. _Oh my god! _"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"


	3. Enter Anna Yoshida, Ayumi's 'little' Sis

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Ayumi stood there, screaming at her reflection. Starring back at her was seven-year-old Detective Boy Ayumi Yoshida, in nothing but a baggy nightshirt that went down past her ankles. "Oh my god! HOLY SHI-"

"Breaking news cast!"

"Huh?" She turned to her TV. "Gin and Vodka of the Black Organization have escaped from South State Jail! Be on the lookout! They are ON THE LOOSE!" A screech threw itself through her lips. Gin and Vodka? _Those are the guys who turned Shinichi-niichan into Conan-kun! _She gasped and looked down at herself. _Which probably means..._

Reaching up, she grabbed a hair-tie, pulling her hair back into a pony tail. "Huh, Kyo always said I looked like a different person with a ponytail!"

SLAM!

The now seven-year-old walked down the streets alone, ignoring the glares that said 'where's your mother?' or 'what are you doing out here alone?'. She instead focused on her thoughts. _Why did I have to go and mess with them? Hadn't I learned my lesson from Conan's situ-no. No whoever that Aiko girl was she's in trouble. I have to find her before they do! _Her eyes narrowed as she started to watch the street with determination. _But I'll do it without deciving anyone! _

OOFF!

"Huh, hey little girl, what are YOU doing out here?"

_Well, there goes that plan..._

"I was, uhhh...ummm..."Ayumi stared up into Kyo's big blue eyes as he smiled at her. "Here, take my hand. I'll help you up!" Nodding, she accepted the gentle offer and grabbed his hand."So...what's your name?"

"A-uhhhh...Anna, yes Anna! Anna Yoshida! I'm Ayumi's young sister!" Kyo seemed to be taken aback. "Ayumi-chan has a sibling? Huh, she's never brought her up before." A sly expression came over Ayumi's face. One signalizing she couldn't beleive Kyo had fallen for that. "She asked if I could stay with you for a while, because she's going somewhere for a LOOOOOOONGGG trip!" Looking down at her, Kyo laughed. "Of course! My mom wouldn't mind at all and my dad won't mind as long as you stay out of his study!" (A/N: FORESHADOWING!)

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"OH OF COURSE SHE CAN STAY WITH US!" Kyo's mother, Hana, oozed as she cuddled 'Anna'. "OH AREN'T YOU JUST THE CUTEST LITTLE THING?" The poor shruken Ayumi was gasping for breath. As weak as everybody said she was, this woman's hugs were STRONG! "Now, now. Hana I'm sure she feels bad enough about living with us! Don't make her rue it!" Hana obidiently let go of the mini detective, leaving her to exhale and inhale at large amounts. "I hope you enjoy your stay here. Stay up as long as you like and we'll homeschool you!"

"Nonesense, Hana! This child needs to be aloud to meet other children!"

"You've got a point there..."

"And wouldn't that be solitary confindment? We can't do that to a seven-year-old! No matter HOW big this house is!" Anna sighed. _The house isn't big at ALL compared to Maria's! _It was then she noticed of similar Hana represented Ran's mother while the father, Hina, resmbled an overweight Kogoro. An annoyed expression came to her face. _They certainly don't act like those two! Oh, hey! Hana, Hina. Hana, Hina. Hana, Hina! Cool! _Her face shifted to a smile. "Alright then! I'll show her to the Guest Room or-her new bedroom!" Kyo gripped her hand and started to lead her up the stairs. A blush came over her face as he did so._ Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness! _"Right over here!" Kyo stopped in front of a wooden door. "Huh, is this a shrine?" Anna asked innocently.

"Hahah! No, it's a one-story house!" _I knew that I was playing dumb..._

"Well go ahead and look around. I'm sure you'll like it." She smiled up at him. "Thank you..."

"Kyo-niichan. Go ahead and call me Kyo-niichan!" Anna's heart raced and her face lit up again. "Th-Thank you Kyo-niichan!" He nodded. "You call one of us if you need anything, alright? See ya!" With that he walked away. Holding her breath, Anna waited till he closed the door.

As soon as it was, she leaned against it, sliding downwards. _I've done it...I'm doing the exact same thing that he did. I'm using those I care about...why, why is this so ironic? _She glanced up at the clock, curious on how long she'd been sitting there. "Hmm, 12:00. Maybe I should get some lunch." Lifting herself up off the floor, Anna made her way down to the kitchen, closing the door behind her.

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"So how is Ayumi-chan?" Hana asked, sipping her ramen. "She's good." Kyo answered, playing with his food. Anna sat next to him doing the same thing. "So..." started Hina. "Does your big sis talk about our dear boy as much as he goes on about her?" A deep blush instantly covered their faces. "D-DAD!" Kyo screeched, slamming his fists on the table. "Uh-uhhh..." Anna studdered, playing with her noodles, twisting them around her chop sticks. "So, does she?" Hana pestered, leaning in closer to the table. Looking up, Anna sweat-dropped. _Dear god they act like Shinichi-niichan's parents! Quick! Think of something cute to say! _

"If I told you it wouldn't be a secret!" She slipped one short little finger across her lips and winked cutely at the family, a squeaky baby voice coming from her throat. "Awwww! SHE'S SO KAWII!" Hana cheered, glumping Anna from across the table. "Isn't that cute?" Hina smiled cheerily with his wife. "Oh come on, guys! This is NOT proper for the dinner table! MOM! That's impolite!"

"I don't care! She's just too CUTE!"

"Let your mother have her fun, son. It's been a long time sense you were so small and innocent."

"Yeah, but anime-glomping another person's kid isn't right! No matter how much she misses my little baby days!"

Hana continued to coo and snuggle the poor shrunken detective as she gasped for air, her face turning blue, figuritivly speaking. _Aw, lady! Just let go already!_

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The entire family turned to the sound of the bloody shriek. The sound of running footsteps came from the corridor. Then, the door slammed open, revealing two maids. "Mr. and Mrs. Daiki! Hideaki has been murdered!"

"WHAT?"

The entire group rushed towards the basement.

SLAM!

"AHHHH!" One of the maids screamed again, covering her eyes. There was the dead maid, laying there on her face, a knife going through her stomach. A blood puddle surrounded her. "Oh my..." Hana spoke, taking a step back. "She was such a nice girl..."

"Who would do such a thing?" Hina screamed, obviously knowing the maid as well.

Anna narrowed her eyes, a look offley similar to Conan's detective look came over her face. _A person with a motive...that's who!_

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Alrighty then! Tha'ts it for this chapter! XD I say that every time I end a chapter. Why do I? You all probably already know it's the end of the chapter...why am I still talking! UGH! SIGH! Kay, so next chapter is Ayumi's first case as Anna! Who killed Hideaki? Stay tuned to see next time!

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN DETECTIVE CONAN! I DO OWN HIDEAKI, KYO, MARIA, HANA, HANI, AND CONCIDERABLY ANNA! BUT ONLY THE ANNA PART OF AYUMI! I DO NOT OWN AYUMI!


	4. Anna's first Investigation

Okay, there are probably going to be so many errors in this chapter. Just letting you know ahead of time. This is because I didn't feel like revising it! XD Please R&R!

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"AHHHH!" One of the maids screamed again, covering her eyes. There was the dead maid, laying there on her face, a knife going through her stomach. A blood puddle surrounded her. "Oh my..." Hana spoke, taking a step back. "She was such a nice girl..."

"Who would do such a thing?" Hina screamed, obviously knowing the maid as well.

Anna narrowed her eyes, a look offley similar to Conan's detective look came over her face. _A person with a motive...that's who!_

(Now)

"What time was the victim murdered?"

"Between 12:00 and 7:00, sir."

The professional detective Hiroto Ichiro turned towards the two terrified maids. They were holding eachother's hands and shaking. Three other maids were in the room, one as shaken as the other two. Then there was one who only kept all eye contact away from the body, not darring to look at it. The next maid had her eyes narrowed at the body, as if trying to solve the murder herself. "Now I know you ladies are scared, but can you tell me what time in between then you girls saw her alive."

One stepped forward. "My name is Hitomi Hotaru. I'm one of the maids who tends to the laundry. I came down here at 12:30 and Hideaki was still alive. Being one of the cleaning maids, she was dusting the valubles kept down here in the cellar."

_How long is this gonna' take? _Anna looked down at her watch. It was 8:30.

_**Ding...**_

Sighing, she let her arms fall by her sides. The next girl stepped forward. "M-My name is N-Nodaka Izumi...I came down here at around 2:12 and she was alive. She was taking her break and watching something outside the window. I wasn't able to get a good enough look at whatever it was, concidering that I had a full full basket of dirty laundry in my arms. It piled at least an inch higher than my head! When she saw me, she offered to help me. With her assistance I was able to get out of this stuffy basement in a jiff." It was obvious to everybody in the room she was trying to make herself feel better about being in the same room as a dead body. "What about you, miss?" Hiroto asked. The quiet one looked towards the group. "My name is Kaede Kaori. I'm the gardener of this facility. I came down here at around 5:30 to get my supplies. She was certainly still alive then. In fact, she was cleaning the dust bunnies while humming a song. You know, that new song? Roses in Tears by Yoko?" Everybody nodded. "Oh yes. I'm a big fan of that song. Hmm hmm hmmm hmmmm...hmhmhmhmhmmmmmm...It goes like that, right?" Kaede nodded. "Exactly."

"Alright, you?" The shivering one stepped forward, terror in her eyes. "M-My name...Is Michiko Midori. I'm a cleaning maid as well...I came down here at around-" She took a peak at the clock which read 9:30. "8-8:20 and she was still alive. She was humming that tune still as well." Anna narrowed her eyes. _What the? Why'd she glance at the clock? Could it be she just didn't remember what time it was? _Anna took a look at the clock herself. _**Ding...**_

"Then there's you little miss..."

"What about me?" The last maid growled, glaring at the officer. "Noriko, be nice!" Hana urged.

"You're a maid as well. When did you come down here?"

"At 6:45 to be exact."

"Was she still alive?"

"Yes."

"Mrs. Daiki, when did you all arrive?"

"We came here as soon as Hitomi and Nodaka screamed. They're the ones that got us and dragged us down here." Hiroto bit his lip and sighed. "This is going to be a long case. Hey, Kyo? Could ya get Ayumi to come up here?" Kyo shrunk back against the wall. "A-Actually, she's on a trip right now. This is her little sister, Anna. She's staying with us for a while until Ayumi gets back." He nudged Anna up a little, waking her up from her sudden thought. "Well, nice to meet you little girl." A few seconds after his introduction to Anna, he groaned and slipped his fingers under his chin. "So our South Detective is absent, huh? Great. Kyo, do you think you could solve the case?" Gasping, he nodded his head. "Y-Yeah! Of course!" Anna smiled. _It's about time he got his own case! _

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"This is no place for children."

"B-But! But!" Anna was placed outside gently on her butt by Hina. "Sorry, little one. You should go sit and wait with the other maids who just showed up. Okay?"

"Bu-But!"

The door closed.

_Great... _She thought, standing up and dusting herself off. _Now I'm locked out of the crime scene with no line of known evidence. This is NOT going to be easy._

"Awww, look girls! A baby!" Several maids (the ones who just showed up, probably) ran up to her and began to coo over her in much the same manor Hana did, dragging her away from the basement's opening. Anna sighed. _Alright, this isn't even going to be difficult, it's going to be INSANELY HARD!_

Looking down at the floor, Anna noticed something in the maid's pocket. "Huh?" _Keys!_

"Can I play with the pretty dangly things, Miss?" All the maids stood still for a second. "AWWWW! OH MY GOODNESS SHE'S SO PRECIOUS!" The maids squealed with delight. "You most certainly can!" The blushing maid handed Anna the spare set of keys she most likely used to clean the diffrent rooms. "Thank you, thank you very much, miss!" Anna smiled cutely and tilted her head for extra effect. One of the maids fainted from the 'cuteness' and was carried to the couch by two other new maids.

Anna suddenly plopped down onto the wooden floor, dangling the keys. She then grabbed her stomach. "I'm hungry, neechan! Is there anything I can snack on?" Her baby voice went straight through the maid's hearts as they all raced to the kitchen to get her something to eat. (A/N: Seriously, can you imagine having a little seven-year-old with a messy little pony tail suddenly sit on your floor and talk to you with that voice? Would'nt you just die? I know I would if they were at MOST five. They're so tiny and adorable when they're little! SO CUTE!)

A smirk covered Anna's face. "Well played, Anna." With that, she ran to the basement.

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Creak.

Anna silently opened the door to the basement, pearing inside. Kyo was examining the body while police took pictures. Hina and Hana were talking to Hiroto about Hideaki and the facts of her employment. Smiling, she carefully shifted herself into the room, delicatly closing the door. "Want some tea?"

"Yeah, sure."

Noriko began walking in Anna's general direction. Holding her breath, Anna jumped into a pile of dirty laundry. The maid walked by, completly missing the leg sticking out that wasn't supposed to be there. Anna stuck her head out, a pair of underwear on her head. "Huh?"

There was something under Noriko's skirt as she walked. _What IS that? _Leaning forward to follow to lump in the worker's skirt, Anna hit her head on the wood. _OW! _She cringed in pain and grabbed her head. However, the sound caught everybody's attention to the pitch black corner. "Is somebody there?" Hiroto asked caustiously. Taking a deep breath again, she ripped off the underpants and dived in again. Kyo stood. "Probably nothing." Hiroto nodded. "Right." He then turned to Kyo. "Got any leads yet?" Kyo could only shake his head. "Sorry, not yet. I don't work as fast as Ayumi-chan."

"Don't worry 'bout it. You get the job done don't ya?" It was then that Noriko came back with the tea. "Drink up." She deadpanned, setting the tray onto the floor. "Wahhh! Careful, this is a crime-scene!" She only shrugged it off and sat down, crossing her legs. Anna poked a shirt and jeans out of the way to see the crime area. _Destruction of evidence, huh? _Her eyes wandered from the dead body to the maid sitting perfectly still, head out the window. She gasped when tears started to come to Noriko, who blotted them away quickly with her eyelashes. _She's crying? Why? _She then spotted the tree outside the window. _Huh? Is that tree a big deal or something? Hmm... _Anna gripped her chin in her hand.

_**Ding...**_

Deciding to move on, Anna climbed out of the laundry and behind what seemed to be an 'antique' oven. Michiko was sitting on the washer, watching the investigation. "Michiko, why are you sitting up there?" Hitomi asked, raising an eyebrow. She laughed. "Cause' I can!" _Hmm...I can feel something's off about this murder case. But what is it? _She rose an eyebrow and scanned around the room, her eyes landing on the body. _Ah ha! __**Ding...**_

_The body! She was stabbed through her stomach so why isn't she lying on her back? She was obviously attacked from the front side! _Anna narrowed her eyes. _But that doesn't make any sense! Why would the killer lay her down like that and not let her fall straight to the floor? _"Ah!" She gasped silently. _Unless there's a clue hidden under her! _She started to look around desperatly. _Gotta' find a way to lure them outta' the room! But how? _That's when she spotted a shot gun on the wall, not as old as anything else in the room, but it seemed to be at least five years old and unused. Smirking, she grabbed a hold of the gun and jumped into the laundry pile, which thankfully was right next to the door. _Hope it's loaded. Here goes nothing!_

**BANG!**

A flying bird was shot and hit the ground. _Uhh...whoops? _

"What was that?" Hina called. "That sounded like a gunshot!" Kyo screamed as he and Hiroto shot up from examining the body. "Hurry! Let's move!" Hiroto turned to two of the police officers.

"You two! Stay outside the door and guard it! Don't let anybody in!"

"Yes sir!"

The entire group ran out the door, the two ordered staying outside the staircase as instructed. Anna sighed. _Good thing I'm already in!_

With that, she ran up to the body, gently tipping it over with the bottom of the gun. _I'll clean this later. _"Ah ha!" She voiced. _Just as I thought, a clue to who the killer is! _

There was a blood-soaked computer chip under her with writing on it. "Huh? What's this? AH!" On the chip, in blood-soaked ink letters, Hideaki's handwriting clearly spelled out: "Find Noriko."

_What? No way! This is too easy! Even a goon like Mr. Kogoro could have figured a case like THAT out! Then again...she did set down a heavy tray of tea on the crime scene. _

(Flashback)

_It was then that Noriko came back with the tea. "Drink up." She deadpanned, setting the tray onto the floor. "Wahhh! Careful, this is a crime-scene!" She only shrugged it off and sat down, crossing her legs. _

(End Flashback)

Anna turned around sharply as she heard footsteps coming from the staircase. _I'm going to need to have a little TALK with Miss Noriko. _Anna rolled the body over again, picking up the chip. Taking a deep breath for the tenth time that night, Anna hopped into the laundry again. "So it was just one of those hunters, huh?" Nodaka asked, anger evident in her voice. "Seems to be that way. Unless killing that bird was an accident from afar!" Hitomi answered. "I could have sworn that gunshot came from our house, though!" Hana spoke thoughtfully, tapping her finger against her chin. "It sounded so close!" Inside the dirty mountain, Anna sweat-dropped. After she got her hopeless sighing out of the way, she started to look around, eyeing in between the holes in the clothing mountain.

"Now...how to get Noriko-chan alone." She sat there, contemplating different ways to speak privately with the emotionless maid. Smirking, she silently snapped. "Got it."

Looking to her right, Anna spotted Hitomi standing there, wiping her eyes and biting her lip. _Poor girls probably never even been to a funeral before! _

"Ms, Hitomi, can you come over here for a minute?" Kyo called.

_Thank you, Kyo!_

The girl gasped and nodded glumly walking over to the detective. Anna took a deep breath and ducked, tucked, and rolled over behind the oven, scanning the room for a disturbance in her path. Smirking when she saw none, Anna tip-toed in the darkness over to Noriko, who was sitting on the windowsill again. "Now what to hide in...?"

_There! _Next to Noriko was a huge basket filled with dirty blankets. Anna stealthily hopped into the carrier, hiding under the pile of cloth.

"The way I see it, the body should'nt be laying out like that on the floor. She should be on her back, concidering the handle isn't coming coming out of her back. She obviously saw her attacker before she died. Which means she should have a dying message. But where?"

Anna sighed and twitched, he was just now figuring that out?

She cupped a hand to her mouth and stuck the front of her head out. "Psst! Noriko-neechan! PSST!" Noriko instantly turned towards her and released a breath that sounded like a gasp. "Anna-chan?"

"Noriko-neechan I need to speak with you privately! It's about the murder!" noriko's eyes narrowed and she glared at her, seeming to know what was coming.

"What are _you_ doing in here?"

"WAH!" Hiroto glared down at the little girl as she nervously looked up at him, a fake smile rested on her face. "Uh...uhhhh?"

"Anna? What are you-" Kyo stared dumbfounded at his friend's 'little sister'.

"You should go back, kid. It's best if you remain with the maids. How did you even get in 'ere?"

Just as Anna was about to reply, Noriko interuptted.

"I let her in." Hiroto gasped, as did Anna...as did everybody else. "Miss Noriko, that's a viloation of my standards! I let you all know she was not to be let in!"

"I couldn't help it. She's too cute to deny." Those words did NOT sound right coming out of her blunt mouth.

_What the? She obviously knows I'm going to ask her about being the murderer, and yet she protects me? What is she doing?_

"I'm going to have to ask you two to please leave the scene for right now. Anna shall not be with you when you come back, is that understood Miss Noriko?" She nodded obediently and picked Anna up, stupporting her butt while wrapping an arm around her chest. That way, she wouldn't fall.

Click, clack, click, clack, click, clack, click!

The sound of the maid's footsteps echoed throughout the basement as she walked up the stairs. Kyo's gaze watched as Anna gripped Noriko's shirt tightly, gazing at him with those big blue eyes Ayumi had. He smirked and chuckled as they disappered out the door, remembering their first case. (A/N: FORESHADOWING...SORT OF! MUWAHAHAHAHAHAH!) He turned back to the body. "Alright, I need you guys to search her for any clues the murderer might have left behind by accident."

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"Thank you." Anna smiled sweetly at the cosplay look-a-like, accepting a soda from her. She only nodded and sat beside her opening the can she got for herself. Where she had aquired the soda? Unknown. Was Anna going to drink the soda? No. Was she going to act like she was? Yes. Why? Because hesitating to drink something a suspect in a murder case offers you gives them a hint that they're in trouble. And THAT was something she could not afford to do.

"I'm not the one who killed her."

"I know you're not."

"Then why are we speaking about this?"

"Why did you save me?" Anna took a fake swig of her drink, checking to see if the liquids falling behind her were visible to her companion. "Save you?"

"Yes, you said that you let me in."

Noriko only took a sip of her soda before looking at her, souless brown eyes watching her. "I did."

"What?"

"That maid who gave you the keys. That was me."

Anna eyed the maid curiously. Noticing the challenge, Noriko allowed a tiny little smirk. "She's my partner."

"Your partner?" Anna nearly choked on her invisible sip of soda, a bubble caught in her throat. Noriko glared. "Not like that. She's my partner in buisness." Anna widened her eyes and listened to the girl.

"I work for the FBI. This is merely a cover-job. That other maid is my partner. And I am most apologetic for your situation, concidering it was the FBI's fault for a breach in the jail system. The government paid for it yet there are so many break out's in those cells." Anna licked her lips and looked away, still watching Noriko from the corner of her eyes. "My current situation?" Noriko nodded.

"Yes, your current situation. I humbly apologize for it, Miss Ayumi." A gasp caught in her throat. Noriko stood. "If you ever need any assitance, simply call us." She handed her a card. "Contact us weekly. We will be working on a cure for that drug they fed you. And by the way, you can drink that soda. I promise you on my badge I did nothing to it."

Noriko began to walts away gracefully leaving Anna sitting in her seat, stunned. "Oh and please," She looked to see Noriko glancing at her with stars in her eyes, shining like emeralds. "keep Master Kyo safe." A blush crossed her cheeks as she continued on her merry way. Anna watched after her, staring. Then, she squickly drank the rest of her soda and threw the can away. Walking back, she started towards the basement. _I know who the killer is now...and she is beyond busted!_

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Next chapter will probably be short, concidering it's just her figuring out how to accuse the murder! So, who will it be?

WHO IS THE MURDERER?

I'm bad at this so I think you guys know already! XD

Pretty pretty please R&R? (Puppy eyes) Pwease? I promise an cookie! XD


	5. Anna's First Interrogation

Thank you all so much for reviewing! COOKIES FOR ALL REVIEWERS! ^^ (Starts throwing cookies out to those who reviewed) Thank you so very much! Now on with the story. Who is the murderer?

And yes, Shinichi will be coming up shortly after I get through with intoducing the main charecters! ^^ Don't worry, there are only a few before I get started on the real story! I hope you all won't think it's all too far fetched...hehheh..I have a way of doing that! PLEASE R&R!

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING EXCEPT FOR ANNA, KYO, HANA, HINA, HIROTO, THE MAIDS, AND HIDEAKI! THAT'S IT! THANK YOU!

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"AHHHH!" One of the maids screamed again, covering her eyes. There was the dead maid, laying there on her face, a knife going through her stomach. A blood puddle surrounded her. "Oh my..." Hana spoke, taking a step back. "She was such a nice girl..."

"Who would do such a thing?" Hina screamed, obviously knowing the maid as well.

Anna narrowed her eyes, a look offley similar to Conan's detective look came over her face. _A person with a motive...that's who!_

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"Huh? What's this? AH!" On the chip, in blood-soaked ink letters, Hideaki's handwriting clearly spelled out: "Find Noriko."

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"I work for the FBI. This is merely a cover-job. That other maid is my partner. And I am most apologetic for your situation, concidering it was the FBI's fault for a breach in the jail system. The government paid for it yet there are so many break out's in those cells." Anna licked her lips and looked away, still watching Noriko from the corner of her eyes.

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Noriko began to walts away gracefully leaving Anna sitting in her seat, stunned. "Oh and please," She looked to see Noriko glancing at her with stars in her eyes, shining like emeralds. "keep Master Kyo safe." A blush crossed her cheeks as she continued on her merry way. Anna watched after her, staring. Then, she quickly drank the rest of her soda and threw the can away. Walking back, she started towards the basement. _I know who the killer is now...and she is beyond busted!_

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Tap tap tap.

Noriko turned around to see Anna tapping on the window silently in an attempt to get her attention. Nodding, she looked around for onlookers before creeping over and opening the window. "How far has Kyo gottan?" She whispered. Noriko shrugged. "Not very far. He's still stuck on the dying message." Anna chuckled. "That's because I took it. Here. Was Hideaki anything important to the FBI?" she asked, handing the agent the chip. Noriko nodded. "She was my other partner. We were mainly put here because an agent from another organization was positioned as a maid." Anna rose an eyebrow, looking around to see everybody was still scanning the perimeter of the body, looking for the clue that wasn't there. "So I take it that the murderer will be the other agent?"

Noriko nodded.

Anna smiled.

"Then I've got your killer." Noriko gave her a quizzing look but shrugged a little. "But how am I going to get the police officers to take me seriously? I'm in the body of a seven-year-old! How are they to know I'm the South Detective?" All Noriko did was smile and hand her a locket. Anna gasped, looking down at the the familiar necklace. "My locket!" She started to touch all around her neck. Upon feeling no metal there, she looked up at Noriko. "Here, I made a few modifications. You can alternate your voice to sound like other people." Raising an eyebrow, Anna sighed. Great, her own petty version of 'Conan's' bowtie. Yay...

"So how do I use it?"

"Turn this dial-" she opened up the locket, "-and speak into it."

"Well, how can I put this to use?" Noriko smiled and handed her a mini cellphone. It was obviously fake, concidering Cinderella was on the front of it. Sighing inwardly, Anna opened it up, only to come face-to-face with with blowdarts. Her eyes widened and she let out a 'hikea?' sound. Noriko chuckled silently and explained the phone to her. "All you have to do is aim it and click that button right there. It's kind of like taking a picture with a camera-phone, but instead of getting a picture you get a knocked out person." Anna's eyes narrowed.

"FBI technology?"

"FBI technology."

A groan came from her lips as she snapped the phone open to full extent and aimed at Kyo. _I'm sorry Kyo, but the only person anybody'll take seriously is you! _Noriko nodded in understanding before mumbling something about being too young for her job and moving out of the way. "Oh, and Noriko? What about that tree made you cry?" Noriko gasped to herself before looking at her. She smiled. "I'll tell you after the case is closed."

**SWOOP!**

Kyo instantly fell down against the old beat up chair, shadow covering his face. "Kyo, honey!" Hana called, worry evident in her eyes. "Are you okay, son?"

Anna hurried behind the chair and spoke into the necklace. "Oh yeah, I'm fine! Just need to sit and take a breather before announcing who the killer is."

The entire room fell into a deathly silence. "What? Already? And you say you don't work as fast as Yoshida..." Hiroto grumbled, getting up from examining the body. 'Kyo' chuckled. "Yes well let me announce who the murderer is." With baited breath, everybody in the room leaned over except for a few maids. "The murderer..."

_**Ding...**_

"IS YOU MICHIKO-SAN!" The maid gasped and fell back against the washer, breath caught in her throat. "I even have evidence to back it up." Michiko stared at him with wide eyes, not daring to even glance at the people around her.

"For starters, the time was 8:30 when we found the body. You said that you saw her at 8:20. That would have ment the murder was committed only ten minutes before Hitomi and Nodaka found her. Which means they would have had to race all the way to the other side of the buliding, searching for us everywhere, find us, and then run us back to the room in ten minutes. Need I remind you how large this house is?" Michiko gluped. "That clock has always been an hour ahead, but you obviously didn't know that."

Anna smirked from behind the chair and continued on. "Then there's the fact that you had to look at the clock to figure it out. You knew that the time periods were getting closer and closer to the body, and nobody had seen you walk in or out of the basement in such a time range close to their's, so you had to settle for what you thought was nearly a half-an-hour before the body was found. Also, there's the fact that you figured out somebody knew you killed her, and you knew that when confronted about it, they would leak the secret. So when Hideaki dropped the one clue needed to solve the case, you laid her down on top of it to hide it. That way, nobody would figure you out. Too bad I asked Noriko earlier about the case and luckily, she was just the right maid to go to." Noriko nodded and smirked towards her, Michiko starting to heave. "Wh-what reason would I have for killing her, though?" Anna's smirk turned into a soft smile.

"You were hired to."

The entire room let out a gasp.

"You're an assassin."

Michiko fell to the floor, body trembling as she watched the boy, whom unknowingly to everyone, was asleep. "It's true...It's true I'm an assassin. I did it. But I've never been figured out before...how-"

"Nobody is ever the same after they commit a murder."

Michiko only began to sob into her dress as everybody stared on in disbelief at her, the nightmare had come to an end.

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"Noriko-chan? You said yo'ud tell me after the case?" Anna looked up at Noriko, who was sitting beside her on the corner of the patio. She nodded and smiled a little. "It's just..." She gulped a little, fighting back tears. "Hideaki was my best friend. It's so hard to lose her. I've been through so much with her..." A tear rolled down her perfectly colored cheek. "I miss her so much." She clapsed her hands to her face and started to weep. Anna narrowed her eyes in sorrow at the girl, rubbing her back. _So it wasn't about the tree at all, was it? _She smiled to herself and continued to pat her back, comforting her.

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"HOLY CRAP! Now not only am I shrunken into a mini detective, but I'm living with Kyo! No..wait! I've got the brand new Detective Boys after me? The Brave Kids? What? How can I join their group if I'm hardly over what happened in the first one? Shinichi-niichan! I REFUSE to follow in your footsteps!"

NEXT TIME: THE GREAT STORY OF AYUMI YOSHIDA!

_"Conan-kun..." Ayumi mumbled, staring up. Her glassy eyes began to fill up with inevaitable tears. "You're...Shinichi-niichan?"_

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Alright! That's it for today! I hope you guys enjoyed it! WOO HOO! I'm glad that I'm almost done introducing the story. I hope you guys can forgive me for the long-winded introductions...I just hope I'm not boring you! Please please PLEASE review and tell me what you think!


	6. The Great Story of Ayumi Yoshida

**A few days later**

"We have a new student today, class!" Every first grader turned and smiled. Anna stood at the head of the room, a smile of nervousness on her face. "Say hi, Anna!"

The entire class was sitting there, waiting for her to listen to the teacher.

Anna sighed and gave a 'Spock' sign. "Hi."

All the boys started to squeal at her, calling her 'pwetty' and 'cwute'. She noticed three boys standing out in particular, however. One boy had actual hearts in his eyes and was blushing, kind of like she did when...**he** was introduced to their class. Then there was a bigger boy who was giving her a large smile, twinkles in his eyes. Then there was a wimpy, bony kind of boy who was blushing and smiling goofily like the rounder kid. She felt her insides jump. They were the splitting image of the Detective Boys! Then there was a quiet girl sitting in the corner of the room, glaring at her. She cringed a little at her but shrugged it off.

"Anna-chan, you can go sit next to Aoi. Aoi raise your hand." The boy who held hearts in his eyes raised his hand happily, nearly standing up from his seat. Biting her lip in worry, she walked towards him and sat down. "Hi!" He whispered. "I'm Aoi Ren!" The other two boys slumped over to talk to her. "I'm Atsuko Hayoto!"

"I'm Chiyo Hinata!" It took all of her power not to laugh at the Genta-copy's name. Two female names. Poor boy. "Anna Yoshida, nice to meet you guys." She held out her hand and smiled to them. Well, THAT was a WAY friendlier welcome than what SHE and the DETECTIVE BOYS got when HE came.

_"I've got something to do, bye!"_

Anna looked down at her desk once the teacher started calling attendance. Things were starting to come back to her. A lot of things. Things she didn't want to remember.

(Flashback)

_"Conan-kun is..." Mitsuhiko, Genta, and Ayumi stood there, looking at Shinichi. "Yeah, I am!" He rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Sorry I didn't tell you guys and all, but it was for your own safety that you didn't know." Ran sighed. He had told her a day earlier and asked her to help him explain it to the detective boys, knowing they would try to talk to 'Conan-kun' eventually. "I can't believe this!" Mitsuhiko put a hand to his forehead and looked down at the ground. "This entire time we were having adventures with Shinichi Kudo, Great Detective of the East..." The once shrunken detective gave a chuckle and looked to Genta for his reaction. _

_The rather large child had a blank look on his face. "Genta-kun?" He asked. Suddenly, said boy snapped out of it. "THAT EXPLAINS ALL OF IT! THE REASON WHY YOU WERE SO MUCH SMARTER THAN US! IT WAS THE REASON WHY YOU DEDUCED EVERYTHING SO QUICKLY!" Ran smiled down at him while Conan's smile grew larger. "Yeah, I guess it does!"_

_Then, his smile dropped when he looked at the next child. "Ayumi, are you alright?"_

_The girl held her head down, bangs covering the top part of her face. __"Conan-kun..." Ayumi mumbled, staring up. Her glassy eyes began to fill up with inevitable tears. "You're...Shinichi-niichan?"_

(End Flashback)

_Just like that..._ Anna thought, slumping down in her seat. _Just like that Conan Edogawa was dead._

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"Yoshida-san!"

Anna turned around, lunch tray in hands, to see her tablemates running up to her. They had their own lunch in their hands, Chiyo's tray being filled with the glump the cafeteria served and...was that Doritos sticking out from there? "Hey, guys!" She greeted, balancing her food in one had to wave. "Yoshida-san can we eat lunch together?" Aoi asked, big eyes beaming like her's used to. Atsuko and Chiyo nodded enthusiastically in agreement. "Sure!"

"Great!" Their already huge smiles grew a few inches. "But only if you guys go by one rule," curiosity clouded their faces now. "You call me Anna-chan."

The three children laughed at her standards and pulled her off.

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The four of them sat under a tree, chomping away happily on their lunch. "Hey, guys?" Anna asked, setting her sandwich down. "Yeah?"

"What's that girl's problem?" Anna pointed towards the same girl that had been glaring at her earlier. "Oh, that's Akira Haru." Chiyo stated, a grim look in his eyes. Atsuko blushed. "Akira-chan doesn't seem to be very friendly. We don't know for sure yet." Aoi smiled. "I'll make friends with her, though! I'm determined!" Anna turned towards the smiling boy. "How long has she been here?"

"She transferred in just a day before you did."

"What?" Chiyo didn't answer and continued to play with his food. It was then that Anna decided that Akira Haru looked like and reminded her of Ai Haibara.

"Anna-chan, what's your big sister like?" Aoi asked, glancing his big, innocent eyes at her. He was obviously trying to change the subject. Anna gave him the same nervous smile she'd had most of the day and giggled. "Uhh, she's cool, I guess."

"OOH!" Chiyo's spoon slammed down into his green mush, creating a big splash of baby food. "Does she give you weight loss tips?" Had they been any more confused, question marks would have popped up over Anna's, Atsuko's, and Aoi's heads. Chiyo's face turned beat red. "Uhh...because my mom, you know, is really uhhh...interested if she does." Anna raised an eyebrow while Aoi and Atsuko giggled. "Well actually, I'm curious to know whether you're a detective or not!"

"Yeah!" Aoi agreed with Atsuko by nodding his head enthusiastically. "I am." She answered, grabbing her soda. "Well then..." Aoi stood up, gently placing his tray off of his lap. "Huh?" She looked up, only to see Aoi point at her, his fingers in an 'L' shape. "Wah?"

"JOIN OUR GROUP!" In a few short seconds, Chiyo and Atsuko were posing behind him, hands on their hips. "WE'RE THE BRAVE KIDS OF SOUTH ELEMENTARY AND WE WANT YOU!" All three pointed almost accusingly at the poor shrunken detective. Anna gasped.

For a split second, she could have sworn she saw herself, Genta, and Mitsuhiko standing there. "Well?" Aoi asked; face getting dangerously close to her's. "Whatcha say?" Chiyo and Atsuko came close up as well.

(Flashback)

_"So Conan-kun really is Shinichi-niichan..." Ayumi stated bluntly as the Detective Boys walked home. "It's going to be pretty boring without him around, but only if we don't get any cases!" Mitsuhiko spoke merrily. Ayumi gasped. "Yeah, I just wish he told us sooner so we could have gotten a picture with him. Oh well." _

_"HOW COULD YOU GUYS BE SO CARELESS ABOUT THIS?"_

_"Ayumi-chan?" Mitsuhiko breathed. The detective boys came to an abrupt halt as Ayumi stomped her foot and stared them down. Ai remained on the opposite side of her, eyes wide in surprise. "We just lost a Detective Boy! I don't care WHAT the circumstances are we lost one!" The schoolgirl's body started shaking uncontrollably, tears forming in her eyes. "We lost Conan-kun and we're never getting him back!"_

_"Ayumi-chan, you're acting like Conan died!" Genta voiced breathlessly. She gave them half-moon teary eyes, her tiny form trembling. "As far as I'm concerned, HE DID!" With that, she turned on her heel and ran as fast as she could._

(End Flashback)

Anna's eyes scanned between the three children before narrowing. "I'm sorry." Picking up her tray, she got up and quickly walked over to the trashcan to throw it away before running off down the street.

Akira Haru watched her as she carried her legs quickly down the cement. Raising an eyebrow, she took a sip of tea she brought to school.

_I can't...I can't! _Anna didn't decide to think about the fact that she was missing school, that she was skipping. She just cared about getting away. Besides, lunch _was_ last period. She wanted to get far far away from the school so that she didn't have to speak with the second generation detective boys. Running away was stupid and foolish, she knew, but it hurt to look at them and be reminded of all she had with them...with him. Her feet came to a straight halt as she leaned against her knees for air, her breath heavy. Once she had her full gain, she used to wall for support, laying her back against it so her legs could get some rest. _Shinchi-niichan... _she growled to herself. _I REFUSE TO FOLLOW IN YOUR FOOTSTEPS!_

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"Anna-chan, is something wrong?" Anna sat there at the table, twirling her fork in her noodles. "No." Kyo turned to her. "Are you sure? Mom is right, you seem upset."

"No, I'm okay." _I can't tell you what's wrong anyways...then... _She bit her lip and took a bite out of the pasta. "Well alright, but if anything's wrong you'll get in trouble for not telling us." Hana warned, taking a bite out of her own dish. "Okay."

Kyo gave her a small smile, knowing something was wrong. But instead of pointing anything out, he shut up and ate.

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Anna placed the stand in front of the kitchen sink. Holding one of the plates, she turned the faucet on and started to scrub it clean with dish soap. The washer was broken so they had to hand wash the dishes and silverware until they got it repaired.

Bubbles clouded the sink, moving about here and there. Ten plates lay off to the side, clean and dry.

The ringtone of the home phone echoed throughout the house, the phone on the wall vibrating like crazy. "I'll get it!" Hana volunteered, racing to the kitchen to answer the shaking communication device. "Hello?"

Anna kept her attention focused on the dirty utensils she held in her hands. "Mrs. Ren, calm down! What's wrong?" Finishing with the last one, she moved on to the last plate.

"WHAT? AOI'S MISSING?"

SMASH!

The plate that was being held so tenderly moments ago was now in pieces on the tile floor, its old captor shaking just as the phone had. "Oh my god...have you called the cops?...Hostage? In the bank? Why is he in the- with his dad? What bank is it?" Anna slowly but surely turned around to watch Hana, who held her fingers to her bottom lip. "Matsumoto Hall? Alright I-"

SLAM!

Anna didn't hesitate to rush out the door. Her destination? Matsumoto Hall.

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"Oh no! Aoi-kun!" Atsuko whaled, voice creaking. The entire bank was covered from head-to-toe in police forces, keeping anybody from going in or going out. Well, the criminals did the 'out' thing. "We can't go in there with those stupid police officers blocking us, though!" Chiyo hissed, brawling his fists.

"You want to bet?"

The two boys let out a gasp of surprise when they turned around. "Anna-chan!" She held an all serious look, staring the two of them down. "I can get us in, but you have to promise not to do anything foolish."

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"Anna-chan? Are you some type of cowgirl?" Atsuko asked, staring at the rope clinging to the roof of the bank. "No, why?"

"That's one heck of an idea you got there!" Chiyo gasped. The strong knot at the end was holding it's own on the side sign of the community building. "It's the only way we're going to get in undetected." She grabbed onto the rough material. "Grab on and pull yourselves up. Don't let go."

"Right!"

A few seconds later, all three of them were hanging by their feet in the air, holding on to the rope for dear life as they climbed to the roof. "Anna-chan! I'm tired and we're really high up!" Chiyo complained, whine covering his voice. "Just don't give up!" She threw through her teeth. "Aoi needs us!"

"Let's go go go!" Atsuko started to climb faster to the top.

It was another minute or so before Anna was helping the two elementary students finish their climb. "Alright, how do we get in now?" Atsuko asked, breathing heavily and wiggling his arms in order to release them of their numbness. Looking around, Anna spotted a window that was just begging for burglars. "There." She pointed towards the frame and got up, walking over to it. "O...kay." Chiyo breathed, still trying to gain his air supply back.

Atsuko helped his buddy up and slung his arm over his shoulder for support. They followed in Anna's footsteps and came to be right beside her. "It looks like nobody's in this room." She claimed, gripping at the handle. When she turned it, to her surprise, it opened easily. _Probably the robbers' point of entry. _"Let's move." Untying the knots in the rope, Anna re-tied them to fit their new situation.

"One of you grab hold of the rope and I'll lower you down."

Atsuko looked towards Chiyo. "Sorry buddy, but it's probably going to take two people to lower you down." Chiyo grimaced but nodded in understanding, gripping their new object of transportation. (A/N: There are only so many adjectives for a rope! XD) The two of them slowly lowered the large child in and as quick as you can say Mississippi, Anna had tied the rope back to the sign once more and was coming down herself.

"Ready?" She asked, untying the rope from her waste. They nodded, earning a more serious look from her. _Don't do anything stupid while you're waiting, Aoi. We're coming to get you!_

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(A/N: Now I was NOT planning on doing this, but because_** so **_many of you requested it...)

A young man flipped through the newspaper, searching for a new case to claim. "Shinichi?"

(...AND HE'S BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!)

"Yeah?"

Ran Kudo stepped out onto the porch, a large smile on her face. "Did you hear? There are two new detectives around Japan!" The detective raised an eyebrow. "Really?" She nodded. "Yes, they're calling you, Heiji, and these new guys the Compass Detectives." He smirked. "Interesting."

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"Hands behind your head DIRTBAG!"

A young man screamed in terror and did as told, bowing to the ground. "See, aren't things a whole lot easier when you listen?"

Aoi Ren sat huddled in his father's arms, hiding from the two robbers. The two of them were behind a large pedestal that was placed in there for the 'history' of the bank. The robbers had not found them yet. And Aoi was hoping they never would.

"Stop!" Anna silently hissed, throwing her arm out in front of the two boys. The three of them were standing right at the door, in plain sight of the robbers if they turned around. Instantly, she used her arm to gently direct them towards the wall. Hiding behind the doorframe, she slowly inched her face out just enough to see the law-breakers. "Why don't we just charge in?" Chiyo asked. "Because we'd be feeding ourselves to the dogs." Anna answered, twisting her head to face him and back again. "There's gotta be another way." Glancing to her right, she saw a large bowling ball. It wasn't on a podium. It wasn't being held in place. It was just...there. Why? She didn't know. How she was going to use it? A smirk itched across her lips.

(A/N: Cue the cool confrontation scene music now! XD)

"I'm going to knock them out. You guys find a way to trap them."

The two nodded as she stood up and walked out in front of the wide open door.

"Hey, robbers!" The two men turned around. "What the- how'd you get in here? We've secured this entire place!"

Aoi gasped and wrangled himself out of his fathers arms. "Anna!"

Said girl was glaring the two of them down, completely careless as to if they were holding guns or not. "Well maybe you missed a few places. Here," she smirked "maybe a bump to the head will enlighten you!" Racing over to the big ball, she used the side of her foot to kick it, sending it flying to the first robber's head. "WAHHHHHHH!"

"HEY!" The second robber yelled as the other fell to the ground. Clenching his fists, he pulled out a handgun. He snarled. "YOU'RE GONNA PAY FOR THAT, KID!"

SLAM!

The chandelier that had been hanging on the roof came flying down onto his head, the ropes holding it up being groped. "Huh?" Looking around, Anna spotted Aoi, Chiyo, and Atsuko standing there, clutching the rope tied to the lights. "Take that, Bad Guy!" They cheered. Anna couldn't help but smile at the the three children, hands on their hips and eyes full of determination, mild frowns on their faces.

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"So in the end, Aoi was saved, the robbers were caught, and everybody lived, some suffering minor injuries." Anna sighed. "What a day!"

"Anna-chan?" Aoi asked, the other two behind him. Turning around, said female frowned. "Yeah?"

"Thank you for saving me. I owe you big time! My Dad and I would have never gotten out of there!"

"It was no problem!" _After all, it was the one thing he ever did to show us that he cared._

"Um guys, about joining the Brave Kids-"

"No! We understand!" Atsuko interrupted. "Yeah! It's totally obvious!" Aoi forced. "You like being a solo detective! That's fine with us!" Chiyo announced. "Uhh, guys-"

"I mean, you'd have to share the glory with us if you did become a group member, and with your skills that would be a crime!"

"Guys-"

"We'll support you all the way, Anna-chan! You can even be our advisor if you want!"

"Guys I-"

"Yeah, that would be so cool! To have an advisor like you would be like having Yoko come to our school to preform-"

"GUYS!"

The three children stopped their useless babbling instantly. Anna eyed them with annoyance. "I'll be a Brave Kid but if you keep annoying me like this I'll re-think my answer!"

Smiles lit up the children's faces and they all jumped to hug her at once. "HOOZA!"

Leaning over, Aoi gave Anna a giant hug and a big kiss on the cheek, causing her to blush like mad.

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(A/N: Also back by popular demand is...)

"So you're cousin is coming to visit, Heiji?" Kazuha Hattori asked, finishing folding a shirt. "Yeah, he's a real chip off the old block if you ask me. He's a serious detective just like Kudo and I are." Heiji leaned back against the wall, arms tucked behind his head. "But first he has to head to Matsumoto to check out his competition, there being a south detective and all." Kazuha's eyes lit up. "Oh! So he's the Great Detective of the North? I didn't know that such a thing existed!" Heiji sighed. "If there's a Great West Detective and a Great East Detective, why wouldn't there be a Great North and a Great South?"

Kazuha crossed her arms and glared. "Oh shut up, ahou!"

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"EHHHH! I didn't know there was a Great Detective of the North! Oh no...don't tell me he's come here to see Ayumi Yoshida! Oh crap, he's not leaving till' he meets her!"

NEXT TIME: THE GREAT DETECTIVE OF THE NORTH, JAKE IZAWA!

"I'm not leaving until I find Ayumi Yoshida, that's a PROMISE!"

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Well, how did you guys like it? ^^ How many of you are happy that all four Ran, Shinichi, Heiji, and Kazuha made an appearance? XD I'm happy that I finally got this done. Oh geez, it's taken me forever! Gomen! I'm so sorry! And I took the advice to get a spell check! ^^ Mostly because I'm getting too lazy to re-read what I've already wrote to check for errors...but oh well! X3 Please read and review! Thank you!


	7. Detective of the North, Jake Izawa

"Anna-chan, wake up!" Said girl moaned and turned on her back, the sheets twisted and tying her body. Kyo sighed, staring at the young girl. "Anna-chan, get up!" Another moan came in response. Sighing, Kyo walked over and started to shake the girl, applying a fist to her chest. "Anna, Anna!"

"Mm…Kyo-kun?" He smiled in triumph. "What are you doing in" she yawned "Wonderland?" Kyo raised an eyebrow at the brunette. "You tell me." She giggled and opened her eyes wider to see him. It had been two weeks since she first became Anna Yoshida, and yet she had gotten nowhere. "Get up and get dressed, it's already 11:00." A nervous laughter, matched with a nervous smile, etched across her now first-grader face.

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Anna sat at the table, taking insignificant bites of her cereal. "Anna," Hana laughed "you're never going to finish your cornflakes with such tiny bites!"

"I know." She mumbled in response. Hana let out a tiny squeal and leaned across the table to wrap the shrunken detective in a tight grasp. "OH! YOU ARE SO CUTE! I COULD JUST HUG YOU AND SQUEEZE YOU FOREVER!"

"Air…Air!" She coughed, keeping herself from swallowing the un-chewed bits in her mouth. "Mom, let go of Anna! You're suffocating her!"

"But she's so adorable, Kyo!"

"I don't give a rat's-" his mother shot him a deadly glare. The teenager groaned and face palmed. "Just let the poor kid eat her cereal in peace."

"Mrs. Daiki?" Hitomi called, opening the dining room door. "Yes?" The woman finally let go of Anna, allowing her to grab her neck and breath. "Some boy is at the door. He-WOAH!" Suddenly, a tall, tan-skinned boy pushed his way passed her, gently shoving her backwards with his arm. "Hey! Who are you?" Kyo asked, clenching his fists. "The name's Jake Izawa, Great Detective of the North. Now," his glare intensified. "Where is she?"

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"So you're here to see Ayumi?" Kyo asked, glaring at Jake across the table. He nodded. "Yeah." Kyo looked down at the table. "Sorry to say, then. But she's not around."

"Huh, what do you MEAN she's not around?"

"She left about two weeks ago for a case or something with her parents. In the meantime," Kyo pointed at Anna. "We're taking care of her." Jake raised an eyebrow. "Who's this?"

"This is Anna, Ayumi's little sister. She's staying with us until her big sis gets back." Kyo turned to her. "Isn't that right Anna?" She nodded her head and smiled cheekily. "Yep!"

"So Ayumi Yoshida isn't here, are you sure?"

Kyo nodded. "Why?"

Jake gave a sly smile. "Well, why else would she send Anna to _you _and not your other little friend, Maria, if she didn't want to know what you were doing?" Kyo coughed on his tea. Banging a fist to his chest, he took deep breaths. "What's that supposed to mean?" Jake smirked. "Open your eyes, wise guy! Ayumi is getting updates from Anna on how you're doing. She has been watching you the whole time!" A panicked look crossed Kyo's face. He swiftly turned towards the shrunken detective. "Anna? Is that true?" Pure nervousness crossed Anna's adorable little face as several sweat-drops started to form on her head. "N-NO! Ayumi sent me here because she knew how irresponsible Maria was and that, with much luck; I would starve to death, even IF I was living in a mansion!" _Besides, I'm not spying. I'm trying to keep you out of trouble… _she gained half-moon eyes. _Much like you do ALL THE TIME…_

Jake eyed the girl suspiciously, cocking his eyebrow up further. "Is that so?" Anna turned her head towards him, nodding innocently. "So she's not the jealous type?" Kyo opened his mouth a little. "Uhh, what?"

"She's not the jealous type?"

"I don't know what you mean by that but yeah, I guess she is." Jake cupped his chin with his thumb and index finger.

"Hmm, then I wonder why she wouldn't send somebody to spy on her boyfriend while she's gone for so long."

"WHAT?" Kyo's jaw dropped all the way to the floor, along with Anna's. "No no no! You've got this all wrong! Ayumi and I are only friends!" Jake gave him a quizzing look. "Just friends you say? Then tell me," he pulled out a newspaper, looking to be about six years old. "Why is she giving you a kiss on the cheek in this picture?" The 'two' being convicted fell back on their butts, deep blushes crawling over their cheeks. Jake gazed at Anna's reaction from the corner of his eyes. "Th-that was a one-time thing! I just saved her from a burning building is all! She was thanking me for saving her!" Jake chuckled darkly. "Is that so?"

Kyo's face said that he was getting defiant. "Yes! Yes it is!"

"Jake, please don't tell me you're terrorizing innocents again!"

The three occupants of the dining room turned to the door to see a young girl standing there. She was Maria's height, hair in a ponytail, a beret holding back side-bangs. "Uhhh," Jake stuttered, backing up. "K-Katsu…hey…" The girl gave him a deadly glare, dark green eyes piercing his soul. "Stop interrogating the poor boy and let's get out of here, your cousin's waiting." Jake narrowed his own dark green eyes at her, throwing her death sword glance right back at her. "Get off my back would 'ya? Heiji can wait! Kazuha-neechan will keep him at bay anyways!" The female placed her fists on her hips. "That doesn't make it okay to make them wait! They're expecting us by Wednesday!"

"AND ITS MONDAY, WOMAN! RELAX!"

"Uhh, who…" Kyo trailed off, pointing an unsure finger towards the teenage girl. She smiled and walked over. "I'm Katsu, Katsu Akiko. I'm Jake's best friend!" Anna smiled at how much she resembled Kazuha.

"More like tag-a-long." Said boy mumbled irritatingly. Katsu's veins popped out of her head. Raising her fist, she growled. "Say that again, and I will break every bone in your body!"

"Is that a threat?"

"No! It's a promise!"

Anna held a tiny gasp upon her lips. _Akiko? Could she possibly be-no. No that girl's name was AIKO. _

She sighed in relief.

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"Thank you so much for letting us stay the night, Mr. and Mrs. Daiki! We really appreciate it!" Katsu gave a warm smile, holding her noodles in between her chopsticks. "Oh don't even mention it, dear!" Hana replied, waving a hand. "It's nice to have company every once in a while!"

Anna's lips creaked in confusion. _So I take it you already consider me a member of the family? _"So where are you two headed next?" Hina asked, stuffing a whole plate of noodles in his mouth. Jake smirked. "Well I don't know about Katsu, but I'm staying up here in Matsumoto until I meet Ayumi!" Katsu instantly dropped whatever she was about to eat. "EXCUSE ME? Jake, these are _your _family members we're going to see!" He nodded. "Yeah, and they can wait! I'm not about to spend all day with Heiji discussing Ellery Queen!" Anna's face dropped like a bowling ball, food following suit. She looked up with her big blue eyes, full of curiosity. "D-did you say Heiji?" He nodded. "Yes, he's my cousin. That's why I'm considered the 'him' of the North." Kyo finished his mouthful.

"Now that I think about it, you look exactly like him except for the eye color!" Jake nodded. "My eyes are hazel, not blue." He paused. "Sweet, huh?" Anna cringed disbelievingly. This guy's ego was thick enough for a chainsaw to slice through. "So you're planning on stay up here until Ayumi comes back?" Jake nodded once more. "Yep, there's no way I'm leaving without meeting my competition first!" She gasped silently. _Oh no…he can't meet me! Goodness knows how long I'll be Anna! _"Jake, you're insane! We can't just leave your family hanging when they're expecting for us to come over!" Jake gave Katsu a hard glare. "_You _can't, but _I _can!"

"Jake, that's completely disrespectful!"

"I'm just that type of person, get over it!"

"You are not that type of person, just knowing that your main competition is a girl is making you upset!" She slammed her noodles down. "How do you know?"

"How do I know? Jake, I've known you for six years!"

The entire Daiki family sat there, watching the argument go back and forth. "Not NEARLY long enough to figure _me _out!"

"Oh please, you're about as hard to read as a big red, arrow finger!"

"Shut up!"

"Make me, North Pole!"

"SHUT UP!"

Anna sighed. _Ehh, they just love fighting, don't they? _

"Listen to me, and listen good, Katsu!" Jake stood up, slamming his foot onto the table. This took everybody by surprise, as they backed up a little. "I'm not leaving until I find Ayumi Yoshida, that's a PROMISE!"

Anna nearly fell over.

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The night was dark and cloudy, and Anna Yoshida couldn't sleep. All she did was stare up at her ceiling, taking silent breaths every now and again. _Jake won't leave Matsumoto until he meets me, but how am I going to do that? Then there's the issue of finding this Aiko person… _Anna narrowed her eyes in deep thought. _Who is she? What does she look like? _Her eyes were set to a glare now, one question ringing above all others in her head. _How do I find her?_

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"Noriko-chan?"

"Yes?"

"I need your help!"

Anna sat there in her bedroom, holding her cellphone to her ear. She couldn't take it out around Kyo, considering he would immediately recognize it. The door was locked and the windows were shut. She was sitting on the floor, tinkering with her necklace, like she did every time she got anxious or nervous. Noriko sat on the other line. Having requested a vacation from her maid work, Noriko could now focus on her FBI duties, which required helping Yoshida. "Whatcha' need?"

"A way to trick Jake Izawa into believing he's met Ayumi Yoshida."

Noriko raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Anna gained half-moon eyes. "He's refusing to leave until he meets me and that's very bad for my situation."

"…..Fantastic."

"So can you help?"

"We haven't even found a temporary antidote yet, let alone a full-fledged one. The best we could do is send a look-a-like." Anna groaned. "No, Kyo would see right through her."

"Who ever said it was a her?"

Anna gave an annoyed growl. "Relax, I was only joking."

"Yes, but jokes always have _some _truth to them."

Noriko rolled her eyes. "Well then you're on your own for this one, Yoshida-san." Anna sighed. "Okay, fine. Thanks for trying."

Beep!

The shrunken detective sat there, crossed-legged on the floor, head held down. This was going to be a long bump in the road.

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"I JUST SOLD A NEW BOOK!" Hina cheered, holding an empty beer bottle in the air. He was a publisher, that he definitely was, and a happy drunk one at that! Jake, Katsu, Kyo, and Anna sat at the end of the table. Kyo was smiling nervously and Jake was laughing goofily. Katsu had her arms wrapped around Anna, holding her in her lap. "Honey, maybe we should wait to celebrate until the kids go to bed!" Hana held the tips of her delicate fingers to her lips. Hana slung an arm over her shoulders, pulling her closer to him. "Aw, no need! Kyo's seen us like this before and I'm sure that THEIR parents like to have fun sometimes, too!" Hana laughed at her husband. "Yes, but not with them around, I bet!"

"ACHOO!"

Katsu looked down at the small child in her lap. "Huh, are you catching a cold, sweetie?" Kyo looked down at Anna and smiled. "I'm sure we have some medicine for that!"

"Well actually," Hina started "I heard that Chinese wine is good for a cold!"

Hana gasped. "Hina! We can't give wine to a child! Kyo might be more acceptable but she's just a grade-schooler!"

"Awww, the cops won't find out. It's not like she's getting as hammered as I am!" A big crackling laugh came from the man. Kyo, Anna, Katsu, and Jake all gained an irritated expression, half-moon eyes and hanging open mouths all around. _Well that's not really saying ANYTHING. _"Alright, if it'll help the kid…" Jake stood up, Anna's eyes following him. "I'll get some wine for her."

_**Ding…**_

Anna grimaced towards him, what was with that smirk on his face? It seemed knowing, as if he was trying to taunt her about something. The teenager detective walked into the kitchen grabbing a tiny cup and pouring some alcohol into it. _What is he planning?_

Jake returned to the dining room, gently placing the small glass in front of her. Anna eyed in suspiciously, glaring at it before fixing the glare on him. He laughed nervously. "Hey, it's not like your older sis'll find out! Just drink it!" A low growl erupted from her throat for a third time before she slowly picked the cup up. Pressing it to her lips, she took soft, mini sips of it. She nearly winced at the feeling of the cold, deadly liquids running down her throat. When she opened her eyes, the cup empty, her sight was blurred. "Uhhh…" The entire top half of her body started to wiggle around drunkenly. "Anna, oh no!" Kyo leaned over to set a hand on her shoulder. Katsu looked down at the child wearily. "What's up, hottie?" She hiccupped. Kyo narrowed his eyes. "Great, nice suggestion, Dad!" The wasted man was swinging back and forth in much the same way Anna was. "Huh?" Glancing down at his pocket, Kyo reached for his vibrating phone. "Hello?"

"Kyo, we need your help!"

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"So the victim was shot, but the murder weapon is nowhere to be seen?"

Kyo stared down at the murdered male on the floor. "Yes, that's it."

"Who was in the house the time he was murdered?" He asked, taking a step back and facing Officer Hiroto. Hiroto turned towards one of his men. "Only his wife, sir, Mrs. Yasu! She's the one who placed the call!"

"Wait," he exclaimed, eyes widening. "Then it's obvious who the killer is, right? Why did we need Kyo if the case is so obvious?"

"That's the problem here." Jake stated, stepping forward. "The case is too obvious; there must be more to it." Hiroto turned to him. "Who are you?"

He smirked. "Jake, Jake Izawa."

"JAKE IZAWA?" The entire police force gasped in shock along with him. "Detective of the North? Heiji Hattori's cousin?" He nodded. "That's right."

"And I'm his best friend, Katsu!" Katsu introduced herself as she clung to his arm, smiling brightly. Jake turned to look at her, frowning. "Whoever said you were my best friend?" She gave him a nasty scowl right back. "Alright, so we've got one of our usual detectives here, and the best detective of north Japan." He grinned. "This should go quickly and easily. Figure this case out as quickly as you can! Its 11:00 on a school night, remember?" Hiroto looked down at Anna, who was rubbing beneath her nose from just having a sneezing fit. "You should get this one back to bed as soon as possible if you want that cold to get better!"

Anna gave him a tiny smile. _I'm smiling, sure! But my head's spinning! _"Now, what's your story, Ma'am?" Yasu was shaking terribly, her eyes filled with tears. Anna stared up at her. She was in her sixties, she could tell. "Well, I left the room to go and make us some instant ramen, and when I came back, he was just laying there on the floor, dead!" _That doesn't make any sense! She should have heard him screaming if she was just in the other room, even __**if **__it's closed off! Unless… _

_**Ding…**_

Anna gasped, walking off into the kitchen. Jake's eyes narrowed at her retreating feet.

Anna walked silently into the kitchen, looking around for the object of her thoughts. "Come on, where is it?" She brought her eyes up to see a microwave sitting there. "It was instant ramen, right? That means it was cooked in the microwave!" Climbing up onto the counter, she reached up and pressed five seconds in. Backing off, she stared up until it was done.

!

It was loud enough that she had to cover her ears, yelping in pain. The entire force raced out into the kitchen, alarmed looks on their faces. Anna smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of her head. The microwave screamed for ten minutes. Jake stood at the head of the crowd, hands in his pockets and that irritating smirk on his lips. "Well, that's evidence supporting you, Yasu." The woman looked towards him. "Huh, how?"

"You see, that ring is loud enough to cover up any sounds your husband might have made during his death, and the duration is by no doubt long enough." His eyes darkened. "But why was it so loud and so long, though?" The elderly woman's face had no changed. "well me and my husband had such a had time hearing the microwave beep, and it was too short to eventually get to us, so we had that alarm installed so we could finally eat warm food." Jake's mischievous smile widened. "Well I'm afraid we still can't role you out, that being awfully convenient." Anna narrowed her eyes. _Good point, but if she __**didn't**__ do it, then who did?_

Yoshida walked over to the body, trying to examine it. She could see him clenching his fist to his chest, a peaceful expression on his face.

_**Ding…**_

_That's strange, why is he so peaceful if he was brutally attacked?_

"WAH!" She was suddenly lifted off the floor, hands holding her by her shoulders. "Anna, you're not supposed to be there, you're getting in the way of the scene!" Kyo said bluntly, setting her down. Anna looked up at him and frowned. His eyes met her's before he looked away. "Anna, just stay out of their way, okay?" With that, he turned and walked back to Jake, fully intent on discussing the case. _Darn it… _She hopped up onto the recliner chair, leaning over the armrest to get a look at the murder case. Just as she was about to get a good look, one of the policemen got in her way, unaware of the disturbance they were causing. Pouting, Anna sat down on the chair, crossing her arms. _Stupid policemen! Huh? _Glancing down, Anna could make something out under her. "What's this?" Reaching down, she pulled out a piece of paper from below the chair.

_**Ding…**_

She gasped. _This is it! This is all the evidence I need to-_

"GAHHHHHHHHH!"

A searing pain lunged itself through her chest, gripping onto her body unforgivingly. "ANNA!" Kyo and Katsu were immediately at her side, the earlier holding her in his lap. "Anna, are you alright?" Kyo called, panic rising in his voice. Katsu reached over and felt her head. "Kyo, she's burning up!" His eyes narrowed at this. "Anna!" Jake watched with wild eyes, it seemed like he knew what was going to happen.

"Curse it all, one of you hurry up call the hospital!" Hiroto ordered, pointing a finger at his men. "Yes sir!" Every man ordered started rushing around the room, trying to find the hone. "It's by the T.V!" Yasu screamed, worry carrying into her own voice. "No…I'm…fine…AH!" Anna attempted, only to start sweating terribly. "Hurry!" Hiroto's voice came. _Oh no, at this rate, she'll be arrested by the time I'm out of the hospital! I can't leave! _Anna gasped. _Wait! Isn't Chinese wine what…? _She let out another scream and clutched her stomach. "Hold on, Anna! The doctor's almost here!" Kyo held her to his chest and rubbed her head, trying hopelessly to end her pain. "Lay her down!" Katsu directed. "Where?"

Katsu turned towards Yasu. "You can use our bed, Dear! It's right down the corridor! Oh, I hope that poor thing's alright!" Standing up, Kyo ran to the door, Katsu in toe. "KATSU!" She stopped, turning around. "What?" Jake stood there, hands in his pockets, serious look seemingly carved on his face. "Let Kyo go alone, I need you here." Katsu blushed but set her hands on her hips, bending over. "I think Anna may need me more, Jake!" He shook his head. "It's better to give the girl some air. Too many chiefs spoil the pot, after all." With a huff, Katsu started her way over to him.

Kyo laid Anna onto the bed, pulling the covers over her body. "Kyo-" he shushed her, setting one finger to her lips. "Just rest until the doctors get here, alright? It's too dangerous for you to walk around or talk." A blush coated her cheeks at a great speed, in which, she didn't know occurred from the scorching pain she was in, or from the lack of space between her and Kyo. He looked down at her, uneasiness overfilling the twinkle she and Maria were so familiar with. Would he care this much had it been the actual _Ayumi _he was caring for? "How's your fever?" He reached over and set his hand onto her forehead, twisting it back and forth before pulling away. Deciding that his hand wasn't trustworthy enough, he carried his face closer to her's. _Wh-WHAT IS HE DOING? _His lips lay on her head, her face starting to burn even more. This time, she knew it was the shortage of area between the two of them. He pulled away, panic still plainly obvious on his face. "Kyo, Jake says he needs you!" Katsu called, opening the door. "Alright, I'm coming." Standing up, the detective sighed and brushed Anna's hair out of her face. "I'll be right back, Anna-chan." Turning around, he ran out the door with Katsu, who took a sorrowful glance at Anna before chasing after him.

_I wonder if they'll figure the case out, deduce it correctly? _Her breathing was hashed and rugged. _AHHH! My body feels like it's on fire! I can't hold out much longer! I'm going to- _Her heart skipped a beat, the pulse bringing nothing but absolute pain to her veins. She let out a tiny squeal before her body started to pulse with her heart.

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"So who do you think did it?" Kyo asked, arms crossed. Katsu had her hands folded neatly in front of her while Jake still kept his in his pockets. His smirk was still visible on his lips and his eyes shined bright with determination. "It's a robbery, the wife didn't do it." Kyo smirked as much as Jake did while Katsu inhaled. "What do you mean? What was stolen?"

Jake nudged towards the body. "According to Mrs. Yasu, he never took their wedding ring off. Considering it's gone, we can proclaim this a robbery. A thief probably wanted to steal something and, there being nothing valuable enough in here, killed Mr. Yasu and stole his ring while the Mrs. Was in the kitchen." Katsu narrowed her eyes. "How would he have gotten in without Mrs. Yasu knowing, though?" Kyo tightened his eyes as Jake continued to explain the situation to his friend. "He probably found the hidden extra key under the doormat and put it back once he was done."

_That doesn't make any sense, why was there not blood on the key, then? There was blood all over his hands; the robber was BOUND to get dirty! I didn't see ANY blood when Inspector Hiroto let us in! And while I'm on that subject, why weren't there any bloody footprints from stepping in that big puddle of blood on the floor? Nothing adds up! _That's when Kyo noticed the big grin on Jake's face, and something pierced his heart. Jake _knew _that deduction wasn't correct! So why did he claim it was? Kyo sneered. What was he planning?

"Oi, Hiroto!" Jake bellowed, twisting around to face the inspector. "I think we're ready to lock someone up!"

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"So who's the murderer?" Hiroto asked, stance similar to how Kyo's was not so long ago. "Simple, it wasn't just a murder case." Jake answered, face filled with purpose. "This was a theft." Silence, unbelievable silence filled the room. "You're not saying…" Jake nodded. "Yes, I'm afraid that there is a murdering robber on the loose as we speak." Kyo took a look around the room, looking at everybody's sullen expressions. One caught his eye, though. Yasu was cringing in terror, more than a normal person would. It was as if she was guilty for something, she was worried and yet sorry. Kyo widened his eyes this time. Was Jake trying to lure the real killer out?

"You're wrong, Izawa."

The entire room fell into a great amount of gasps and the sounds of jaws dropping could be heard all over the room. The real, evil, renowned smirk was etching across Jake's face. Katsu set a hand to her mouth and Kyo could only stand there, frozen. "This was not a robbery, but it wasn't a murder, either." Ayumi Yoshida stood there, back leaning against the doorframe, one foot to her supporter. Her arms were also crossed and her eyes were shut closed. A trickle of sweat ran down the side of her head, her school uniform of a red, white and navy plaid miniskirt with a white shirt and red tie hugging her in all the right places. Some strands of her hair clung tastily to her cheeks, and when she opened her eyes, the blazed with certainty. "In fact, this was a suicide."

"Ayumi!" Kyo's voice rang throughout the room. Said girl turned her head towards him, a gentle smile on her cherry-glossed lips. "Hey there, stranger." He could only stand there and watch as she pressed herself off the door and walk into the room, carefully placing each step onto the ground.

(Flashback)

_Anna screamed once more as her body grew to it's original size, the feeling of lava on her skin becoming all the more intense before it finally stopped. Slowly opening her eyes, she spotted the figure of a young woman standing there. "Wh-who-" _

_The face soon became clear as it bent down to stare at her. "Have a nice transformation?" Ayumi scowled. "Noriko, how did you get in here?"_

"_FBI agent, remember?" She flashed her badge._

"_Oh yeah, how could I forget?" Ayumi sat up, hair swinging all over her body. Wait…HER BODY! "GAH! I'm naked!" Noriko laughed. "Yes, that's why I've brought you these." Ayumi stared down at them. "Huh, my school clothes? How'd you get these?" The teenager grabbed onto the articles of cloth and held them to her chest. Noriko raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, yeah. FBI agent, I remember."_

(End Flashback)

"Yoshida, are you feeling alright?" Hiroto asked. "Yeah, I'm just fine, Hiroto-san. I need to explain this case to you, though." He nodded. "Okay, you said it was a suicide?" Ayumi nodded. "Yes, there are quite a few facts leading me to believe this. First of all, as I'm sure Kyo had noticed, there is a lack of bloody footprints. Mr. Yasu is covered in blood, specifically his hands. If the murderer were to pick off the ring, they'd not only have to step in a blood puddle, but dirty the keys as well. And why would somebody who just committed a massive crime take the time to put a pair of bloody keys back when somebody could so easily walk by and catch them? That just doesn't make any sense." Hiroto nodded.

"Then, why does he look so calm?" Everybody's attention turned towards the body. "You'd think he'd die with a shocked or even terrified expression if he was killed. And he'd obviously see his attacker; he's laying on his back." Everybody turned back toward the young detective. "Third of all, the most point-blank evidence of all…" she pulled something out from her pocket. "This is his suicide note, his last words on paper." The entire room fell into dark silence again as Hiroto took the note from Ayumi's hands. He opened it up. "Yep, this was a suicide. It's all here!" He gasped. "Mrs. Yasu, you and Mr. Yasu were getting a divorce?" Mrs. Yasu gasped, and then slowly nodded. "Wait, then where's the gun?" Katsu interrupted. Ayumi turned to her. "Simple, Mrs. Yasu hid it."

"WHAT?"

Ayumi nodded, facing the widow. "He committed suicide because you wanted a divorce, and he still loved you. You felt like it was your fault so you tried to frame yourself for murder, so you wouldn't feel as guilty. But this backfired on you when Jake deduced that you weren't the killer and that it was somebody else. It was then the guilt of somebody serving life in prison for something they didn't do, all because of you, set in. Am I correct?" Mrs. Yasu shivered, tears coming to the corners of her eyes before she wiped them away. "Y-Yes." Ayumi stood there, staring at her. "You still loved him too, didn't you?" She nodded. "Y-Yes!" Hiroto cocked an eyebrow. "Wait, then where's the ring?" The female detective pointed towards the body. "The ring should still be in his fist, it was his dying wish to have it by him, that way _she _would always be by him."

Mrs. Yasu started to shake terribly as the police officers pulled his fist open, just a little bit, to see the wedding ring. "Sir, it's here!" One policeman called. That was when Mrs. Yasu broke down to the floor in tears. "Oh, I loved him! I loved him so much! He was just never around anymore and I couldn't stand it! I needed somebody to hold me all day and would accept his retirement age!" She cried, head held in her hands. "I never wanted him to do this! I never wanted it to end like this! Oh, Arata!"

Ayumi stood there silently, watching the poor woman cry. She couldn't do anything; it was out of her hands. Glancing up at the clock, her face dropped even further. It was time for her to go…before the wine wore off. "Oi, Yoshida!" Jake approached her. "It's nice to finally meet you." She raised an eyebrow. He was smiling a _little too_ cockily for somebody who had just been proven wrong. "Jake Izawa, nice to meet you, too." She reached out to grab his hand, only to have Katsu jump in the way.

"Hi there, Yoshida-san!" She jumped back in surprise. "The name's Katsu Akiko, and if you try to seduce Jake, you'll find yourself the victim of a murder case, do we understand each other?" Ayumi slowly nodded her head, shaking Katsu's outstretched hand. "Good!" Katsu smiled cheekily, completely disowning her old, evil glaring look that she had a second ago. "Oi, Katsu! Don't be so protective!" Jake hollered, hands on his hips. "I wouldn't be if you didn't need it!" Ayumi slowly backed away.

"Ayumi-" Kyo set a hand onto her shoulder. The detective wiped his hand off slowly and unsurely, turning to face him. "Kyo, I'll be back for you, I promise. But…" Ayumi bit her lip, turning towards him. "Do yourself a favor and don't wait for me." Kyo's eyes widened and she took a deep breath. "Listen, I don't know how soon I'm going to be back, and it would be selfish to keep you on the line if I don't know how long I'll be." Her heart and her brain were fighting each other. Her brain was telling her to say these things, that it was the right thing to do. Her heart, however, was breaking. _I'm not going down the same path Shinichi-niichan did, no matter how similar our paths are. I'm not going to hurt Kyo like he hurt Ran-neechan. No way! _Ayumi kept her eyes focused on the warm rug below her.

"So don't wait, alright?" Kyo gave her an understanding look, and smiled. "Fine then, I won't wait." Ouch, that really _really _hurt. "But no matter WHAT I'm doing, no matter where I am, I'm going to drop everything and everyone the moment you come back." He smiled. "But that's as much as I'm willing to let go." A smile graced her lips and she threw her arms around his neck, giving him one of those big hugs they used to share when they were younger.

_Oh no! Not now!_

"AH!" Ayumi clutched her stomach in pain, straightaway letting go of Kyo. "Ayumi, Ayumi are you alright? AYUMI!" She fell to the floor, the pain getting worse and worse in the pit of her gut. Jake rushed over, disregarding his prompt, short-lived fight with Katsu. "Here, I'll get her to a hospital. You just stay here and take care of Katsu, will ya?" Kyo's eyes widened and Katsu rushed over herself. "JAKE!" Katsu complained. He smiled. "If there's a single hair missing from Katsu's head when I get back, you'll pay!" Katsu blushed deeply, her green eyes sparkling. Jake kicked open the door and raced down the apartment building, Ayumi in his arms. "HEY!" Kyo screamed to no avail.

_I have to get out of here. But I can hardly move! _Ayumi couldn't help but flinch in pain. "Don't worry, Yoshida, I'll get you somewhere empty!"

It took a few minutes, but Jake finally found an abandoned warehouse and set Ayumi down, immediately running off to go get something. Ayumi grasped her chest, clinging to the clothing given to her tightly and desperately. _My chest is burning! I feel like I'm gonna' throw up! _Ayumi let out a painful scream, part of it sounded like that of a small child. _This is it...I'm turning into Anna again…_

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

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"Hey, Yoshida, wake up!"

Anna Yoshida opened her eyes, if only for a few seconds, and could see the faint and vague outline of somebody's face. "Yoshida, wake up!" Her eyes snapped open to Jake's voice, said boy's face in front of her's. She recognized the warehouse as the one Jake had set her down in, except now Noriko was standing there, a scowl on her face. Her raven black hair fell right above her light blue eyes, which were narrowed at him, and then at her. She was wearing her maid outfit once again, probably disguised for some reason. "Oi, you alright?" He asked, giving her more air. "J-Jake…niichan?" He laughed. "Oh, whatever Yoshida! I know your secret so just give it up!" Anna gulped, backing up, only to hit her head on the broken board above her.

"N-Noriko-chan, what-"

"This little sneak spied on our phone call." Jake laughed. "I _was _trying to prove my theory on you reporting back to Ayumi and all, but I guess I overheard something I wasn't supposed to!" Anna's lips twitched, signaling irritation. _So basically, you were sitting right outside my bedroom door, listening to my conversations? _"Anyways, put these one." Jake picked up a pile of clothing and handed it to her. The clothes were tinier, to fit her body. Anna sighed. "Well, at least I'm not butt-naked this time around." Jake laughed even louder. "Oh, that's right! Your clothes would rip, wouldn't they?" Anna glared harshly. "It's not _that _funny." She turned towards the FBI agent, who was giving him just as much a scowl as she herself was. "Where do the others think Ayumi is?"

"They think she's just left with her parents back to wherever you were 'supposedly' in the world."

"What about Anna?"

"They think you're out with Jake."

"Where do they think _we_ are?"

"The hospital."

Anna sighed. "Of course they do."

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_So over the next three days, I rested and got better, ridding of my cruel cold. Jake and Katsu finally went on their way to Tokyo to visit Heiji-niichan and Kazuha-neechan as soon as the case was over, Jake finally happy that he got to meet me. The guy even gave me his phone number, much to Katsu's disliking, even __**if**__ she thought I was seven. (She accused him of being gross for going after little girls.) He said that Heiji gave his phone number to Shinichi when he figured the whole 'drug 'thing out, so he was doing the same thing. Kyo seems to being dealing with my long 'trip' better now that he saw me. Now all that's left to deal with…_

"Anna-chan, how are you feeling? Are you better now?" Aoi asked, worry all over his face. The four children stood around her, trying to hand her get-well cards. "You should eat some Hong-Kong noodles! They'll make you feel better!" Chiyo suggested, handing her his lunch. "No, drink a lot of juice or even eat a fruit-pop! Those get you out of funks!" Atsuko mentioned, joining in with the madness. Anna smiled and laughed nervously.

…_are the Brave Kids._

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"Alright, so I've got the new Heiji-niichan, the new Sonoko-neechan, the new detective boys, the new Ran-neechan, the new Kazuha-neechan, the new Hakase (sp?) if Noriko counts, the new Kogoro-ojiisan, and the new Eri-obaasan, so who am I missing?"

NEXT TIME: SHIHO MIYANO'S NIECE; MY HAIBARA-SAN!

"You should learn to keep your mouth shut, Yoshida. You know that?"

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OH MY GOODNESS! 6,308 words! 15 pages! DARN! That was a long chapter! I hope you guys found it at least mildly amusing! And don't worry, Shinichi and Heiji weren't in this one, but they're coming again soon! I still haven't gotten all that's needed to be done before I can write the first movie. And yes, I already have the first chapter of the movie DONE! YAY! But I can't post it up until I get to a certain area in the story. So don't expect it to be up that quickly! And YES! Shinichi and Heiji will DEFANITLY be in the movie! Along with Ran, Sonoko, Kazuha, the Detective Boys, Kaito Kid, Aoko, Gin, and Vodka, possibly Vermouth, too. I haven't decided. I'm so excited for you guys to see the movie, though! SQUEEE! Who thought it was just as exciting as the fan's side to be on the maker's side of the deal? No, I wasn't saying I have fans, but if any of you beg to differ, fine with me! XD ^^ Please review!


	8. Shiho Miyano's Niece, My Haibarasan!

"Anna-chan, hurry! We're playing tag!" Aoi called, grabbing Anna Yoshida's shoulder. "We're playing rock, paper, scissors for who's it!" Anna smiled happily at the child and tagged along to the others, no pun intended. At a far distance, a young girl watched them, her legs crossed like a lady and her eyes chilling. "Ayumi Yoshida, age fifteen. Gender, female. Hobbies: crime solving, martial arts, soccer, gymnastics, shopping. Parents: Goro Yoshida and Ayame Yoshida." She paused, the frown still on her face as she witnessed Chiyo lose the game of rock, paper, scissors. "The only one who can help me…"

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"Now today class," Ms. Kazue started. "Today we're going to be working in pairs! Everybody will get a partner today and those of you who don't get to work with me!" Anna grinned to herself. Chiyo raised his hand. "Can we pick partners today?" Kazue shook her head. "Sorry Chiyo, but no." Atsuko moaned, much in the same way the rest of the class did. "Alright, I'm going to start reading names off the list. Please listen for your name."

And so she started to call nicknames, and last names, and first names, depending on what each student wanted to be called. "Aoi, you're with Josie. Chiyo, you're with Atsuko." All four whined and started to complain, but were silenced by a glare from the teacher's assistant, Ms. Luna. "Anna, you're with Akira." She gulped and turned in her seat. As expected, Akira was glaring at her from the back of the room. She quickly twisted around, deciding to stay focused on the board.

Minutes passed before Kazue was done. Setting her pile of papers neatly down on the desk, she turned back to the class to start discussing what they would be doing. "You will be coming up with a word that applies to the both of you the most, and then decorating it with symbols that apply to you both the most! Let's get started! GO!" Atsuko and Chiyo started to argue over what they would put down. "Chicken!"

"Science!"

"Steak!"

"Laser beam!"

Aoi was having a hard time with her over-agreeable partner. "Fun?"

"Sure." Josie answered blankly. Aoi stared at him blankly for a few seconds before scribbling something else onto a sheet of line paper. It was probably scrap paper for ideas. "What about friendly?"

"Sure."

Scribble scribble scribble.

"Cool?"

"Sure."

Scribble scribble scribble.

"Agreeable?" He was trying to crack a joke now.

"Sure."

Aoi sighed.

Anna felt herself tense up for some reason as Akira sat down beside her, setting her things down onto the table such as crayons, pencils, glitter, the works. "So…" Anna began, attempting to make conversation. "What word do you want to use?"

Akira stared at her coldly, her emerald eyes piercing Anna's blue ones. Anna found herself backing away slowly until she hit the wall, which wasn't very far considering the fact she was _right _by the wall. "So…what word?"

Akira turned away from her, looking down at the table. Anna leaned back into her seat, sitting the correct way. "Akira-chan?"

"I think there's only one word that applies to us both, Yoshida-san." Anna raised an eyebrow. "It links us together in ways unimaginable." Akira slid a piece of paper over to her. It was folded neatly in a square. Looking up at her partner, Anna took a hold of the paper and brought it up to her eyes, unfolding it.

Her pupils shrank, her breath caught in her throat. Her eyes widened and she nearly heaved. All of this because of the single word written on the tiny slit of paper.

Help.

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"OH I JUST CAN'T WORK WITH YOU!" Atsuko cried, cramming his hand angrily inside his shoe locker. "YOU can't work with ME? HAH! What a load!" Aoi glared at them, taking out his own shoes. "You're the one who wants to make our word a dairy product!"

"You're the one who wants to make the word boring and all schooly!"

"Well at least I'm thinking with my brain and not my stomach!"

Anna didn't even bother to try and stop them; her thoughts were still circled around that one word. Help, what did Akira mean by that? "You guys think dealing with each other's bad, wait until you have a partner that you don't know if you're pleasing or not! I can't get Josie to be enthusiastic about ANYTHING! At least you're friends!" The two of them glowered at each other, eyes shimmering with hate. "What about you, Anna-chan?" Aoi asked. Anna jumped, surprised by the sudden interruption from her thoughts. She turned to her, smiling. "Uhhh, Haru's okay, I guess. She's just really quiet is all!" Aoi smiled happily and Atsuko gained a faint blush. Anna noticed. "Atsuko, are you okay?"

The boy snapped his attention upwards. "Y-Yes! Why?" Anna shrugged." You're blushing." Chiyo bent down next to him. "Ahhh, I get it! You like Haru-chan, don't you?"

"WH-WHAT? NO!" The entire group started chuckling a little. Atsuko's face heated up even further, skin as hot as fire. "I-I DO NOT!"

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Anna sighed as she and Kyo crossed the street. It was a short walk to the high school of arguing between Atsuko and Chiyo, and Aoi latching onto her to keep her from hearing the insane words coming out of both kids' mouths. The Brave Kids were told to go home due to Kyo being worried about their parents. Who knew what they would think if their kids came home late at night without any word? Anna's eyes stared at the ground in front of her, and nothing but. She couldn't get the cursed note out of her head. _What did Haru mean? She said that it meant something to the both of us. But what? _

"_It links us together in ways unimaginable."_

Anna narrowed her eyes. What could that possibly mean? "Something on your mind, Anna?" She looked up at Kyo, who was smiling down at her, usual grin. She shook her head. "Nah, it's nothing!" He shook his head as well. "Now I _know _there's something up." Anna let air escape through her mouth. "Huh, how?"

She felt Kyo tighten his grip on her hand. "Whenever your older sister is upset about something and I ask what it is, she gives me that same answer every time. And every time she does, I find some way to cheer her up. But in this case, I haven't known you that long, so I don't know what you like." He grinned. "So what do you like? I could treat you to some ice cream?" Anna's face lit up and she could feel her palms start to sweat. A big, cheek grin overlapped her face and she made a little laughing squeak sound you would hear out of a new baby girl.

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Help…it was such a simple word, so why was it bugging Anna as much as it was? She couldn't keep herself from pondering the word over and over again, trying to match her situation to Akira's, even if she didn't know much about her. What was it that Akira wanted help with? Why was it _her _she came to and not the teacher? It just didn't make sense! Anna sat down at her table, Akira already sitting. The entire room had switched around so that everybody sat next to their partners. "Okay, class! Today's Day Two of your projects! Make sure you at _least _get your word figured out and on paper!" Ms. Kazue's auburn hair swung to it's side in her ponytail, her green eyes shutting closed. Her glasses blocked half the sight of her face from view, but her smile was evident. Anna sighed. Lucky woman…

"Pot roast!"

"Rockets!"

"Lasagna!"

"Cellular!"

"Easy?" Aoi asked, holding up a flash-card with 'easy 'written on it in big, black, letters. "Sure."

"Difficult?" Josie shrugged. "Sure."

"Roller-coaster?"

"Sure."

"Ferris wheel?"

"Sure."

Anna sat there, staring at Akira. "What?" Anna sighed. "Haru-chan, what was it you meant yesterday by 'help'?" Akira only gazed back at her, emerald eyes shining brightly with slyness. "When you figure it out, it will be decided." The bell rang, and Akira leaned over, whispering in Anna's ear. "Ayumi-chan…" The child got up, stuffing her working objects into her bookbag, and left. Anna could only sit and stare at the place the child had been sitting before, seeing nothing but that scene playing over and over and over again in her head.

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That was it. That had to be who she was. Anna's eyes narrowed a great deal as she walked home with the Brave Kids. Akira Haru _had _to be a Black Organization operative. How else would she have possibly known who she was? "UGH, YOU ARE THE MOST STUPID, HUNGER-FILLED, ANNA-LOVING FOODMONGER I HAVE EVER MET IN MY LIFE!" Atsuko screamed, finally having enough. "WELL YOU'RE THE DUMBEST GENIUS WITH A NACK FOR FALLING FOR TWO GIRLS AT ONCE I'VE EVER MET!" Chiyo screamed, causing Atsuko to gasp. "WELL FINE THEN!" Both boys gave each other heinous glares. "WE'RE NOT FRIENDS ANYMORE!" Aoi and Anna skidded to a halt and twisted around to see the two boys stomping off towards their homes. "Oh…wow. Have they ever fought like this before?" Anna asked, her pupils big. Aoi shook his head. "No…never! I'm kind of scared!" Sympathy passed through Anna's blood and it covered her expression. "Well hopefully they'll be back to normal by the time the school fair rolls around." Aoi nodded in response and continued walking. Anna sighed and followed him, Akira still fresh on her mind.

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Akira Haru stared out the window, eyes shifting suspiciously between the drops of water falling outside the glass. "I hope you can figure it out soon, Yoshida, your life depends on it." She narrowed her eyes. _Not to mention Sherry's and mine… _She sighed and placed a hand on the wooden frame. "Haru-san, dinner's ready!" Her foster mother called. She heard her four other 'brothers' and 'sisters' rushing out to get their bowl of ramen first. "Coming!" She answered back as monotonously as she could. The brunette stood from the windowsill and walked to her door, stopping at the door hinge before turning around to face her room.

It was covered in Einstein posters and her bookshelf was full of Sherlock Homes, Ellery Queen, and Nancy Drew. She had a science lab next to where she had been sitting, the glass bottles holding no form of liquid. Her curtains were a dreary green just as her carpet was, and her bed had a giant picture of a happy frog on it, smiling and waving happily at her. It was so unfit for how dark the room really was, considering she didn't even have the lights on. Her off-white walls even looked darker. The rain made the sight even gloomier and she glared at it all before closing the door behind her.

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"Akira-chan! You've got mail!"

"Is that so?" The foster mother passed a slip of paper into the small girl's hands. It wasn't in an envelope, but it was folded into such. "I bet it's from a secret admirer! Maybe even that Atsuko boy your brothers keep telling me you stare at!" Akira's eyes darkened. "Don't be ridiculous. He's not my type." The mother shrugged, hands rising in the air, as she walked into the kitchen. Once she heard Yoko blasting from the kitchen, a signal that her caretaker was doing the dishes, she opened up the considerably torn 'envelope', careful as to not make it illegible.

_This writing is not that of a child, I can already confirm that much. _Her eyes traced the letters, not reading the words all together.

But that was really confusing when the numbers came into play…

Sweat beaded her forehead as she stared down at the neat cursive handwriting, that of a highschooler.

_**2891 Matsumoto Park**_

Her breath caught in her throat, her chest tightened up…

…and then she smirked. "Well well, looks like Yoshida finally got the hint."

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Akira stood next the overgrown tree, located in center Matsumoto Park. She glanced back and forth for any sign of Anna in the less-than-unoccupied grounds. She narrowed her eyes. The card had been marked written the same day as delivered. She glanced down at her watch. That probably meant she was to head straight to the given location, so why was Yoshida so late? _The only explanation is that there was a time on it that I missed. _ There was no doubt about it. That _had _to be the answer. Who else would have-

Her thought process stopped abruptly as she was tapped on the shoulder lightly. "It's about darn time you got here Yoshi-" Akira was about to finish her sentence, only to let out a blood-curdling screech.

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"What's wrong, Ai-chan?" Mitsuhiko asked his shaking girlfriend-well, would be girlfriend had she noticed his signals yet, setting a hand onto her shoulder. Shinichi, Ran, and Genta turned towards her as well. Ai gripped her arms and hugged herself, setting a hand on Mitsuhiko's. "Yeah, I'm fine I just…felt like something bad just happened." She narrowed her eyes, staring at the ground. The entire group was standing outside a movie theater, about to head in to watch the new movie that Yuko was staring in. Shinichi knew that shaking, those sudden goosebumps she had. But the Organization was long gone, how could they have possibly been there? He shrugged. It was probably something that happened in jail. She'd been getting them a lot lately, though. Oh well, he'd think about it later.

"Let's hurry in, guys!" He suggested. "It's starting to get cloudy outside and if we don't hurry and buy our tickets, we'll miss the movie!"

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The person standing in place of where she had expected to see Anna was a tall man in a light brown trench coat, a similar-colored fedora, and a pieces-missing-yellow-toothed smile. A cigarette was placed between his teeth in a familiar fashion. "Hello there, pretty little girl. Why are you out here alone?" Akira took several steps backwards, fear ripping its way to her face. "You should come back to my place; I've got tons a candy there." The cigarette was nearly bitten in half with how hard he was chewing. "Whatcha say?"

Of course, Akira screamed and tried to run.

The man's smirk only grew larger as he stomped his tobacco out. "I love it when they run." His trench coat swung wildly as he chased after her. "Here, kitty kitty kitty!" It took all of her power to keep her back just out of the guy's reach. Slamming her feet down into the dirt, she lunged herself between his legs, running back to the tree as if it were a safe place. He laughed in amusement, his chuckle dark and vividly sinister. "Now now, don't be so rough, I promise I won't." Akira checked the distance between the two of them. She bit her lip and decided to take a chance and climb the tree next to her. She grabbed the bark, holding it as tightly as she could to support herself as she climbed up the wood.

"Uh oh, you've trapped yourself now kitty kitty. Daddy's gonna get ya, oh yes he is!" She cringed and breathed heavily as she sat on the highest branch she could find, staring down at the pervert not too far below her. He was jumping up and down, reaching high to grab an appendage. Her heart didn't race with fear alone, but with the anticipation of being saved. _What should I do now? I'm safe for now, but he was correct. I've trapped myself nevertheless. _The idea of her cellphone came to her and she swiped it out as quickly as possible, madly typing her home phone number in. "Pick up, pick up!"

The voicemail answered…

"Please leave a message at the tone."

She felt her breath get caught again. Once the phone beeped, she tried to leave a message. "Mom I-"

The sound of her phone beeping came to her ear, instantly cutting off communication from her 'parents' and her only life line. She pulled the cellular device away and gasped. _Low battery!_

"GOT YA!"

Akira screamed in terror, the man finally catching a hold of her foot, which was unfortunately hanging over the side of the branch. The cellphone fell out of her hand, hitting the ground with a tiny thud, still beeping like crazy. "HELP ME!" Her screams were hardly audible as the man held her against his chest, trying to keep her from squirming. Her feet thrashed in the air and she flailed her arms wildly. "Hold on tight, little one." His words provoked her voice to get louder, and her fighting to get fiercer.

"OOF!"

A basketball came flying their way, hitting the creep man in the head. This resulted in the release of Akira, who fell to the ground, thankful she was saved. "You know, you shouldn't mess around with girls like that. It's not only bad for their mental health, but it can be bad for your physical health as well."

Anna stood a few yards away, hands in her pockets and determination in her eyes. Her face was burned and heated with anger, and possibly fatigue considering how hard that ball hit his head. The man raised his head to look at the child for a few seconds before letting go and completely slipping into unconsciousness. "Y-Yoshida-san!" Anna made her way towards the girl, who looked up at her with helpless eyes. The brunette was frowning, maybe even glaring at her. Something placed itself out in front of Akira's face, and she looked down at it.

Anna held a hand out in front of her, giving the offer of helping her up. After staring at the outstretched hand, Akira lifted her head back up to meet a consuming gaze. The frown had turned itself into a full-fledged smile, and it was directed at her.

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"Yoshida-san, why did you save me?" Anna shrugged as the two stood in front of the same tree. Night had just about fallen, and police cars surrounded the park, their sirens giving the two girls color and lighting. "Well, you called for help."

"You didn't just help me, you saved me. There's a difference." Anna could only smile at that answer. "Now _that _I've never heard before. But what is the difference in this type of situation, really?" Akira glanced at the detective from the corner of her eyes. "I helped you, sure, but it was that action that saved you. In this case they are morally the same thing, the same definition and same structure of meaning." Anna's voice was only heard by Akira, and that's the way she wanted it to be. If any of the adults heard her talking in such a manor, some bad things were bound to happen. "I suppose it all lands in your point of view." The two of them faced the tree again. "I suppose it does, but if you want to think of it solely as saving your life, I won't stop you." Akira chuckled silently at her hero's words. "Besides, I'll be darned if he did such a thing near this tree, if your first experience at this spot was going to be so traumatic." Akira cocked an eyebrow. "Are-re-re? Why is that?" Anna twisted her hands behind her and stared up at the tree's green leaves, watching them rustle about freely. "I met my best friends at this very spot."

(Flashback)

_Ayumi sat under the green-filled tree, coloring a picture. It was the only thing she ever really did since she moved away from Tokyo…and found out who __**he **__had really been the whole time. The entire thing disgusted her, really. As she finished coloring in a small portion of her painting, she started to wonder a few things._

_Would she ever be able to trust anybody again? Would she be able to cut her losses and start over? Would she be able to move on? Conan-kun was her first love…and it __**was **__a pretty big lie. He never really explained to them as to why it really was he never told them. Was it because he thought they were too young to understand? Was it because he didn't think they were mature enough? Her eyes narrowed and she drew the red pencil across the page even harder. The streaks becoming darker and darker each time she brought it across, almost like blood. _

"_Hey, that's pretty, how'd you draw it?" Came a tiny voice. Ayumi turned around to find herself facing a little girl with long blonde locks staring back at her with big eyes, filled and dipped in curiosity, even more so admiration. "I just…drew it." The girl's eyes widened even larger. "I think it's pretty!"_

"_Well I think it's dumb!"_

_A boy voice made itself known from behind the blonde, and she twisted around to face him. The boy looked exactly like Conan, only without the glasses and his eyes were a different color than his. Well, that and he wore a baseball cap. She could tell that wasn't a usual thing for him. "Kyo, be nice!" the little girl ordered, trying to make him show some manners. "What? The pose he's in makes him look like a jerky loser! She shouldn't draw idiots like that!" Ayumi's eyes fell on her portrait; she had no idea what she had drawn._

_There, covering the entire page was a very well, very professional real-looking picture of Conan. He was leaning against a wall next to a window. His smirk gave an 'I-can-get-any-girl-I-want' feel to him and the light coming in through the window shined brightly, some reaching the glass covering his eyes. "And I think she could do a better job on the eyes, too. Just saying!" _

_This boy, this random boy was the first one to ever tell her something was wrong with something she made or did. He was the first boy to criticize her and not hold back. "I'm so sorry, I'm Maria, and this is my friend Kyo. I really hope he didn't hurt your feelings!" So Kyo…Kyo was his name._

_Ayumi cracked a big smile for the first time in two months. "No, not at all! Actually, can I get some more help?" _

(End Flashback)

"I see, so it's where you met your second love?" Anna's face turned beat red and she spun around faster than you can say Mississippi. "Wh-WHAT? First of all, NO! Second of all, how'd you know it would be my second?" Akira smirked. "Don't play dumb and act like you don't know Yoshida, by now you've figured out who I am, right?"

Anna shrugged a little. "Well, I know you're from the Black Organization. So, who are you?"

Akira grinned. "Smart detective." She lifted her head upwards. "My real name is Aiko Miyano, daughter of Akemi Miyano." Anna turned her full attention towards the speaking girl. "So you were the one I heard Gin and Vodka chasing after that night?" Akira nodded. "I was running away from them when they got me in the arm. They shot another one, but I missed it." Anna's eyes traveled to her arm, where Akira began to clutch it. "It's considerably healed now." Her hand moved up to her shoulder. "How did you get away?"

"Simple. I took the same drug my Aunt made when she was my age." Anna's eyes widened. "You mean…the drug that turned-"

"Both you and Shinichi Kudo into first-graders? Yes, that's exactly what I mean." Anna shook slightly in her shoes, heart racing at a slightly faster pace. "I took it to lose the Organization. My aunt took it as a suicide attempt." Anna narrowed her eyes. "Alright, I've got a few questions then. First, how did you know that you wouldn't be killed by this drug?"

Akira sneered. "I didn't."

"What?"

"I was trying to flee from the Organization. Dying would have allowed me to leave, as would shrinking. I honestly didn't care about the results." The detective next to her had to gulp a little. "Next question?"

"Did your Aunt survive?"

"Yes, yes she did. As a matter of fact, she shrunk as well."

Anna gasped. "Did she- did she stay that way?"

"Yes, she did. You might even know her from your first childhood."

That was when the brunette's heart actually stopped for a few seconds. Her first childhood? Then, who could it be? It didn't seem to make any sense! "Who is she? What's her name?" Akira's smile grew at an increasingly fast-paced speed. "Her name?...Shiho Miyano."

"Haru-san, what's her shrunken name?"

She had to know. She needed to know if she truly knew this mysterious scientist or not. How would she know her? When did she meet her? How close was she to her? If she was going to get back to normal, these questions needed to be answered! "You can figure that out all on your own, Yoshida."

If you had asked Anna how she would have described Akira Haru at the moment, she would answer "Smirking evilly and it kind of worried me."

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"Ms. Kazue, Me and Josie are done!"

"Josie and I, Aoi-kun."

The three days for the project had passed, and the entire class was finished. Anna and Akira smiled at each other knowingly, ready to present theirs as well.

"What word did you two settle on?"

Aoi smiled cheekily and Josie actually smiled along with him, eyes beaming with child-like joy. They both held a top corner, leaving the lower corners to dangle in the air. "Teamwork!" The background was filled with dark navy blue glitter and two hands shaking were the symbol they chose to draw in the upper right-hand corner, if you had been behind it. A few smiley faces were drawn here and there, but nothing too artistic. Ms. Kazue gave them a blissful smile and congratulated them. "Anna-chan, Haru-san? Do you two wish to share yours?" The shrunken girls nodded at one another before standing up and bringing their project to their teacher. "What did you two do your project on?"

They both lifted up a picture, a picture of something that meant unspoken words to them. "Tree." Sure enough, the word was written inside a picture of the large tree in the park, text in a Jungle Book fashion. The color around the tree was a sunset mixture, one that Anna had probably painted, and the grass holding the tree in place was a mix of light and dark green. The class lit up, 'OH's' and 'ah's' coming from everywhere. Ms. Kazue's jaw dropped. "W-Wow! I've never seen elementary students do something like this!" And for a split second, she was amazed instead of bewildered. "Um, do you two mind telling as to why you picked, 'tree' of all things?" They shrugged.

"Well, you said a word that means something to the both of us."

"Yes, but what could…what does tree mean to you?" The confusion was evident in her tone, but it was understandable. "To us, tree means 'beginning.'" A smile etched over the teacher's lips and even Ms. Luna grinned a little. "Very good then, both of you. Alright, anybody else wish to share?"

"Ms. Kazue, we're done, too!"

Atsuko's voice rang throughout the classroom.

Anna turned towards the two mismatched boys. Did they get over their argument? "Oh, what word did you two decide on?"

The big boy and the weak boy both ran up to the center of the classroom, Anna and Akira quickly back-stepping out of the way for them. The two were beaming even more than Josie and Aoi were. Ms. Kazue looked down at the both of them, glasses not hiding the eagerness in her eyes. "Our word…"

The class leaned forward in their seats.

"IS ANNA-CHAN!"

A few short seconds later, Aoi was red-faced and huffing, Ms. Kazue was giggling between her zipped-tight red lips, Ms. Luna was gaping, and the entire class was falling over in their desks laughing. Akira was not hesitant to join them as Anna's mouth started twitching, and she gained half-moon eyes. _I don't want to steal catch-phrases or anything, but oi oi!_

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Whew, it's finally done! LOL It took me so long to finish this chapter, I know! But give me a break! I update this story pretty often! ^^ Anyways, more news on the Detective of the South movie! I'm fixing some things up in the first chapter you guys might find interesting, and trying to fix in the right amount of comic-relief and romance, and let's not forget the detectives so many of us fawn over! XD Okay, so I think I might give you guys a little sneak peak of the movie next chapter if you all want! ^^ After all, it is a while away and I HAVE to keep you wanting more, don't I? Yes, yes I do. Otherwise, I wouldn't be doing a good job! OH THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR READING AND REVIEWING! (Throws cookies all over the place) I couldn't ask for nicer people to read my fics! ^^ I'll keep this story up if you all keep the reviews up! XD

ARIGATO GUYS! THANK YOU SO MUCH!


	9. Author's Note

Okay guys, I've got an author's note. I'm sorry for not updating (Team Ayumi, XD) but my computer is having some major issues now and I can't do anything (AND I MEAN ANYTHING) on it. I'm borrowing my best friend's labtop to write this at the moment. And before you ask, the reason I can't write my new chapter is because I already had a lot done on my computer, so it would probably be better for me to wait till' my darn computer is fixed. I won't be updating for a while and I'm so so sorry about that. Please don't give up on the story, though! I promise I'll update as soon as my computer's fixed!

Love you guys!

-IHKF


	10. A Day in Tokyo with Jake and Katsu pt 1

"Jake, wake up you baka!"

Katsu tried desperately to shake her friend from his dream state, but his hat was tipped over his face, and he was in a comfortable position. Not good odds for the poor girl…

"Jake, come on! Get up!"

The train had stopped five minutes ago, and was about to take off. For those whole fives minutes, while everyone else was boarding off the train, Katsu was trying to make Jake board off sleep-land. She was close to shaking to detective violently when he finally awoke from his slumber.

"Oi, don't shake me so hard baka! I nearly died!"

"Nearly died? I thought you WERE dead you BAKA!"

Jake took a look around, instantly gasping at their empty surroundings. "WAH? EVERYBODY'S ALREADY GOTTAN OFF! HOW LONG WERE YOU GOING TO WAIT TO WAKE ME UP, BAKA?" Katsu growled in annoyance. She shook her head back and forth, ponytail swinging, and she bit her lip, ready to make a comment. "No time! Hurry and get our bags! We've gotta' MOVE!"

In no time flat, the two of them were the last getting off the train. Jake jumped over the edge first, eager to get going. "HEY, WAIT UP JAKE!" Katsu came running after him, appearing at the door. Several hairs were out of place in her ponytail and she was breathing heavily. Her barrette was clinging messily to one stand of her over her face. Bags were clinging all along her arms, while may I inform you, Jake was only holding two. "Hurry up and get down, baka! We've gotta' GO!"

Katsu growled. "Who are you calling baka bak-AHHHH!"

The train suddenly started moving, causing Katsu to fall backwards as she had one foot starting to step off the staircase. Nobody was alarmed, and nobody noticed. While this rested uneasily in Jake's stomach, he quickly reached out and wrapped his arms around the top of her rib-cage, just under her bust. The two would have fallen to the ground had it not been for his remarkable balance. He stuck one foot out behind himself and squeezed one of his eyes shut. The train rolled away, unaware of the commotion it had just caused. Katsu clung tightly to his friend's shirt, watching the train leave with heavy breath. The male companion glared down at his friend. "You okay, baka?"

This earned a dignified hit over the head.

"As long as you don't call me that anymore."

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Knock knock knock.

"Oi, we're here!"

Hattori Heiji slumped over to his front door, hands in his pockets. Sleep clung to his eyes from the nap his wife had awakened him from only twenty minutes ago. "OI!" Came the voice once again. The detective opened up the door a small crack, then slammed it open when he realized who it was. "Jake, Katsu! Good to see you again!" Jake smiled widely at his older cousin and gave him a knuckle-punch, a smile etched across his lips. "It's been a long time, cous!" Heiji nodded. "I know what ya mean! How could you leave me here with my wife?" He leaned over to the teenager, cupping a hand over both their ears. "I think she's homicidal!" The two of them broke out in laughter. "N-Nah that would be too ironic! That's like Katsu committing a theft!" The feminine girl beside him gave him a warning elbow to the stomach, causing him to bend over in slight surprise and pain.

They both stood there, eyes hissing at each other.

"HEY!" Kazuha's voice echoed throughout the room and soon enough, the teenage detective and his friend were both locked in an aikido champion's arm-lock. "It's been so long you two!" Just as their faces started to turn red and their bones were becoming slim-fast mix, the woman pulled away with a warm grin. "Just look at how much you've grown!" The working-wife had an apron tied around her waist, complimented by flour splattered all over her cheeks and clothes, whether it belonged there or not. A smudge of chocolate was sticking to the side of her lip.

"Baking cookies for the office party, are ya?"

Kazuha nodded. "Definitely, my best friend just got a promotion!" Kazuha owned a small bakery downtown, and it was partially a family and friend business. "I wish you would just buy the cookie mix instead of actually making it, from scratch is hard!" Jake took a real look at his cousin. Sure enough, flour covered his face as well, and some parts of his clothes had little chocolate splotches on them. Kazuha glared at her husband. "Well I'll have you know that if I own a bakery that means my food ALWAYS has to taste good! That means I can't do it the easy way, which means that from-scratch tastes better!" Heiji rolled his eyes, as did Jake and Katsu. "If I don't live up to expectations, then everybody'll quit because they don't want to work under an 'amateur'!"

"Just shut up, Ahou." He leaned over and kissed the chocolate smudge away from her lips. "You make everything taste better anyways."

That got her to be quiet.

Katsu's eyes widened at the spectacle before her. Kazuha's cheeks were burning up and Heiji was smirking in victory. For a split second, Katsu could vision herself in Kazuha's shoes, and Heiji was replaced by the boy standing next to her…

"Oi, Katsu! We're going to get a tour of the house, you coming or are you going to just sit there and stare at the floor?"

Jake was glaring at her and as she looked up, she could see Kazuha and Heiji walking away from the two of them. Feeling flustered, she nodded her head wildly and started walking after them.

She smiled when Jake laid a hand on her shoulder.

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"Anna-chan, hurry up! We're going to be late!"

Ayumi Yoshida, shrunken female compass detective, laughed and smiled a little, following the Brave Kids of South Elementary School into the theater. They were going to see a movie Maria's dad had directed, staring the great Yoko that Hina and Hana Daiki loved so much. A sigh escaped her lips. Sometimes, they were so much like Ran's parents yet so different, like HIS…

…well, no point in thinking about it now.

"Is something troubling you?" Akira Haru, shrunken Black Organization Scientist, asked. Anna shook her head. "No, I'm fine. I'm just…thinking."

"You're thinking about Kudo Shinichi, are you not?"

Akira turned to face her fellow shrunket, only to be greeted by half-moon eyes. "Hey, I'm just saying."

Anna's eyes glanced away, staring at the children playing and laughing before her. "To think…just to think I'm in the same position he was in, to think that I used to be one of the kids that were playing around completely oblivious to a close friend's dark secret…it makes me sick." Kyo and Maria were ways behind the two of them, close enough to see them clearly, but far enough to be out of ear-shot. "I see, so you feel anger towards yourself and to him that you're stuck making the same mistakes he did."

Anna scoffed. "Please, that's not even close to why I feel the way I do."

"Oh really, well name one thing that's different."

Ayumi-Anna- eyed the children so far ahead of them. Her lids narrowed, and her eyes were glassy. "I'm not taking my friendship with these kids for granted."

It was then that the clinging leaves of a tree were hit by a forceful wind, and circled all around the saddened girl below them, creating an ever sadder atmosphere.

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"This is the living room."

"This is the patio."

"This is the kitchen."

"This is the yard."

"This is our bedroom." Kazuha and Heiji had showed the two teenagers all around the house, there was only one more room left to go after this one. Katsu glanced all around, hands clutched to her chest as she glanced around. Their room was a pale green color with a square mirror hanging from the wall. A closet was next to it and a king-sized bed across from it. A window gave the room a nice, calming feel to it, as did the 'Cinnamon & Soy Milk' scented candle that lit up a tiny corner of the room. The dark green eyes of the younger girl standing in the room lit up like a fire. "I love your decorating! This is so nice!" Jake and Heiji rolled their shoulders, both looking bored. "So let me guess, Kazuha-neechan picked everything out?"

The West detective nodded, as did Jake when he said that. "I thought so. My cousin would never pick such a calm and tranquil place to rest in, he hardly rests!" Katsu gave her childhood friend a warning glare before turning back to face the older woman of the room. Kazuha was still smiling giddily at her work. "I most definitely picked everything out, and put it together! Heiji doesn't have this good a taste!" Her husband gave her a sneer. "Hey, I picked out the office stuff!"

"Yes, well picking out all Ellery Queen themed furnishings and objects does NOT count!"

Heiji snorted and crossed his arms, petty exasperation flowing throughout his cheeks. Katsu couldn't help but giggle to herself; Heiji and Kazuha were just _such _a funny couple. "So, do you guys wanna' see the final room?" The stars in Katsu's eyes lit up, and Jake simply shrugged in response. "Sure."

In only a few short seconds of passing from one room into the next, the jaws of Katsu Akiko and Jake Izawa were dropped as far as they possibly could. "This is our baby's room."

"You have a baby?" Katsu asked as both she and Jake looked all around the room. A few nightlight stars hanging from the ceiling created a bunch of mini pure light star shapes to circle around the room in the close to pitch darkness. The room was completely empty except for the one crib in the middle of the room. The bars were white or off-white, she couldn't tell, but the padding inside the bed was the color of the nighttime sky and just as the surrounding perimeter, the deep color was painted to rest with stars. The bright yellow curtains (which looked dark in this lighting) were closed so as the sun could not reach into the bundle's sleeping room. "Of course we do, he's already thirteen months old!"

Katsu felt the hairs on her arms stand on end when Kazuha said this. Everybody had always told her that she and Jake acted the same way Kazuha and Heiji did as teenagers…did that mean?

"What's his name?" Jake questioned, hands still secure in his pockets.

"Minoru." Jake's eyes widened considerably at his older cousin's answer.

(A/N: Minoru means 'truth' in Japanese! ^^)

Heiji smiled at his wife as she brought her recently re-washed hands down to their child. Green crystalline eyes slanted open to look up at the new mother that smiled down at him. Angry to be woken up, tears started pouring from the pools of diamond green he used to see. Whining and complaining filled the room's atmosphere; and yet to the four people standing in that room, it was the most beautiful sound ever.

Katsu reached up to touch her cheek and gasped upon feeling warm slips of water caressing down her face. "There, there." The caring mother gently cradled her work back and forth in her arms, Heiji standing behind her with his hands on her shoulders. _Heiji-niichan and Kazuha-neechan…They-they look so happy. _Suddenly, the shimmering pupils of an infant were on her, and the crying subsided a little. Jake and Katsu both gasped a little at this and turned to look at each other. "Seems like he wants to meet you two!" Kazuha giggled. Heiji's smile grew at least an inch. "Well, do you wanna' hold him?"

His question was met with the female teenager nodding her head enthusiastically.

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"Shhhh! It's okay! Mommy's here!" Aoko Kuroba cradled her crying child in her arms. "It's okay! Calm down, sweetie!" She let out a sigh as the child continued to cry. "Kaito! Are you having any luck with Yuki?" After a few stressed seconds, her husband answered. "Yeah! Yuki's fast asleep! What about Yasu?" Aoko groaned. "He's hungry! I can't get him to sleep and he won't drink from the bottle!"

"Maybe you need to breast feed him again?"

"NO WAY! HE'S GROWING TEETH NOW, KAITO!"

"HE is? But he's only one month old!"

"KAITO!"

"Okay, okay! I'm coming!"

Twenty minutes passed by before the two tiny little frames were in cribs that connected to each other, which lay right next to their bed. The two children were quiet and adorable as they slept quietly and peacefully; well, compared to the insanity the room had been filled with before. But then again, that was what Kaito and Aoko got for having twins…

"Mom, dad?"

…and a five-year-old girl.

Aoko sighed and wiped the sweat away from her forehead. "What's wrong, Mahou?" She and Kaito had married at the age of twenty and had their first daughter in the same year. "Nothing's wrong, I was wondering if Hato could come over?" Aoko's smile grew to full-out grin. Hato Michi was Mahou's best friend, not to mention a close friend's son…

"Of course, Magic! Go right ahead and invite him over."

"Good, because I'm already here." Kaito laughed out loud as a five-year-old boy, soccer ball tucked under his arm with a lollipop in his mouth, walked right passed the door with a jaded look on his face. "Hey there, Dove!" He called after him.

An angry: "DON'T CALL ME DOVE!" was the reply.

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"Awww, he's too cute!" Katsu couldn't seem to stop the amazed smile that pierced her lip-glossed lips as the baby she held in her arms started smiling a little. The tears had stopped a while ago and the two detectives seemed just as overjoyed as the two women in the room. "So it wasn't that he was cranky from being woken up," Heiji twisted the baseball cap on his head around so that the flap was behind his head. "It's because he sensed new people in the house and wanted to see them."

"Really?" Jake asked, eyebrow rising up just a little bit. Heiji nodded. "He's been like that ever sense he was born. Whenever somebody new would come over to the house to congratulate us, he would start crying in his room as long as he wasn't asleep. And when we woke him up to introduce him, he started crying. But as soon as we let the guests hold him, if he liked them he'd stop crying and if he didn't…he'd cry even worse." Katsu looked down at the baby in her arms. "So…I take it likes us?" Heiji shrugged. "Well, he likes _you_, Jake is still a question." Kazuha turned to her family member. "Act like you're her husband; put your arms around her. If he likes you, he won't cry again, if he doesn't well…you know what'll happen." Katsu's cheeks lit up like Christmas. "Jake-" She wasn't able to see his expression before he disappeared behind her. _H-huh? _Jake came up to his friend's back, staring down at her for a few seconds before laying his hands on her shoulders. His eyes narrowed as she tensed up and shifted a little. "Stay still, baka." She wanted to, but Katsu could not obey him when she felt his just-right arms wrap around her. They weren't too weak but they weren't too muscular.

The baby did _not _start crying again.

Katsu's eyelids dripped a little as Jake pulled her closer to his chest, staring down at the baby. The green eyes were staring right back at him- at them. "Yep, he likes the both of you." Smiles went all around the room. A smile on Minoru, a smile on Heiji, a smile on Kazuha, a smile on Jake…and Katsu was smiling more than any of them. "Jake, when we grow up do you think I'll have a baby?"

He tensed up.

"Depends on whether or not I let your husband touch you."

Kazuha looked at Heiji with a knowing smile, and he returned it. "Wh-what? Why would _you _decide whether or not my _husband _touches me?" Katsu's smile vanished and her eyes locked with his in a death glare. "Well you don't exactly make the best decisions!"

While he spoke, his friend walked up to the real parents of the child and handed him back. "Katsu, what are you-"

"Shut up." She walked over to the Northern detective and grabbed his ear. "OW!" Jake's face scrunched up at an unholy pace at her unholy strength. "I think we need to have a nice, long talk." She turned around to smile cutely at the two of them, evil stare evaporating. "Where's our guest room?"

Heiji was about to respond when the door to the dark room opened. "Oi, Heiji! I need your help!"

^_^ O_O X_X O/_/O ^_O :) DOTS

"Choose, Bella!"

"Why?"

"Why?" Edward raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, why. I mean, if I say I choose one of you I could just go behind your or his back and have an affair." Jacob and Edward looked at each other and stared.

Anna cringed as she watched the movie that glared to her from the big screen. As to why Yoko was staring in a _Twilight _movie, she didn't know. She was even more baffled as to the fact Maria let her father DIRECT something like this…She sighed. Well then again, if Maria liked something as stupid as _SpongeBob _she'd probably like something _else _stupid, too. Even if it was a different kind of stupid. "I like Yoko and all, but this is…simply disastrous. Not even _she _can save this horrible film." Anna couldn't help but chuckle whole-heartedly in agreement with Akira's sudden whisper.

^_^ O_O X_X O/_/O ^_O :) DOTS

"Oi, Kudo… what's all this about?" Heiji and Jake sat on the other end of the table from Shinichi Kudo, who held a look of sheer determination. "Kaitou Kid is going to strike again…and he has an apprentice this time!" Heiji's jaw dropped. "WHAT?" Jake simply raised a confused eyebrow. "I know…a scary thought. The weird thing is, it's a girl." Heiji had to rub his thumb and index finger in between his eyes. "That's great, that's just great."

"Hey cous, you mind telling me who this Kaitou Kid is?"

"Some magician thief who thinks stealing priceless jewels then giving them back is hilarious."

Jake's eyebrows narrowed. "Oh…_he wouldn't happen to wear a white tuxedo and white cape, would he?"_

Shinichi and Heiji both looked towards him. "Yeah, that's right."

"Well…" Jake pointed at the open door to the dining room that led outside. "He's standing right outside your door!"

Sure enough, when Heiji and Shinichi turned around, there the older Kaitou Kid stood, hand to his hat and cape flying in the wind as he balanced perfectly on the railing. (A/N: Good thing I spell-checked myself…Microsoft Word would have let that be APE flying in the wind! XD)

" 'Some magician thief' eh', Hattori? How cruel."

^_^ O_O X_X O/_/O ^_O :) DOTS

Well, that's it for today's chapter! ^^ Well…its part one of it anyways…next chapter will be part two. Well, I told you guys I'd give you a preview of the movie if you wanted…so here it is! ^^

**"Hmmm...how did I get stuck like this?" Anna asked, eyes narrowed, crossed arms.**

**"EEI EEI OHHH! AND ON HIS FARM HE HAD A COW! EEI EEI OHHHH! WITH A MOO MOO HERE AND A MOO MOO THERE! HERE A MOO THERE A MOO EVERYWHERE A MOO MOO! OLD MCDONALD HAD A FARM! EEI EEI OHHH! AND ON HIS FARM HE HAD CHICKENS! EEI EEI OHHH!" She sighed in defeat as her little 'friends' started to cluck like chickens. "Why are you people even singing that song? We're going to the corner store!" Anna pleaded. "Give up, Yoshida. They don't care. They're children."**

**"I WASN'T SINGING ABOUT A DEADLY DISEASE PASSED AROUND IN THE EARLY 1300's WHEN I WAS SEVEN!" She hissed back silently. Akira simply smiled smugly at her and looked away again. "UGH!" Anna lay back down, moving her head upwards. "I'M A LITTLE TEAPOT CAN KISS MY NOW MINI SIZED-"**

**"We're here!" Shinichi laughed, interrupting the new chorus of 'oinks' coming from the Brave Kids. "YAY!" They all cheered. Anna scoffed. What were they so excited about? Could it have been the candy? Or was it the drug sale probably going on behind the pit-stop? Or maybe the AIDS-infested toilets inside? The crack addict trying to get some money from his friend in the corner? The unmistakable smell of alcohol filling the store? Then again...it WAS probably the candy.**

So how did you guys like it? ^^ I was having trouble deciding what I was going to give to you guys as a sneak-peak! XD Then I decided…"Wait, this doesn't give off anything big that happens that I haven't written yet in the series, and it gives them a cute little snippet of what happens in the movie! ^^ Why not choose this scene?" OH! Hey, listen guys, for those of you who are unaware of or don't read my story 'Betrothed', I'm having a fanfiction contest! X) You see, Team Ayumi, one of my most loyal reviewers (THANK YOU!) asked me to write a story…I uhhh. Heh…(Sighs) I'm not experienced enough to write it. I've never written an 'M' rated fic before. Heheh…so I made it a challenge so that way Team Ayumi could see her idea come to life anyways! ^^ Besides, it sounded _really _interesting! Here's the review she wrote:

_**I thick you should make a M rated Ayumi and Conan fanfic about like Conan said something harsh to Ayumi and made her runaway and have never come in a while. Conan felt bad for what he said to Ayumi and had bad feeling that something bad happened to her. Conan and co made search party to find her after waiting a few more hours and no return. Everone was endlessly searching her until... Conan found Ayumi brutly beaten and RAPED! But she was still alive, but now she felt that she brought shame to her family, friends and most of all Conan. The only way try to bring Ayumi back to her old self is for Conan to ture in her group of rapist (Who is still on the loose). With the help of the detective boys, Heiji, Kazuha, Ran and Ai who wants captured them for what they did to poor Ayumi. But Ayumi still won't cheer up... it's up to Conan to heal her broken and shameful heart. **_

_**You don't have to make this desion... you want, you can add twist and turns this story. I only come with it so if you have a hard time making other Ayumi and Conan fics **_

_**You can make into story if you INKF and that goes for all you other Ayumi and Conan writers as well. **_

_**You can put a warning Rated M for Rape and if needed violence and langage.**_

Well, you guys heard her! ^^ So if any of you want to join, review or email me! (Clasps hands together) This is going to be so fun! So far only one writer has entered and that's **Darling Dreamer**! (Points like Haruhi Suzumiya at readers) So I hope you all try and write it! ^^ OoO OH! And here are some new rules Team Ayumi gave!

_**You can also add Kaitou Kid and Aoko. And have a hint of Ai and Mitsuiko and a minor Heiji and Kazuha and a little bit of Kogoro and Eri and last but not least, a small pinch of Takaki and Satou too the story too.**__**You can make a songfic or a oneshot or even a muilty shot. And the weather can be stormy or a cold night. The setting can out on vacation all together somewhere around Japan. And Ayumi was... gang raped. Conan and the Detective Boys are teenagers etheir 16-17 years old. And... OK that's all.**_

Alright folks send in reviews or messages and get writing! XD


	11. Author's Note AGAIN!

Hey, guys! Another author's note! XD Uhh…I'm already started on chapter 11; I know it's a long wait but to be fair I've been busy with other things. I have a LIFE you know! XD lol Anyways, I hope you all aren't TOO too pissed with me. I'm trying, I really am! It's just hard to keep up with the updating and crap. X( And to my very special and loyal reviewer, Team Ayumi, uhhh…I can't respond to your reviews until you have an account…heheh. But as for the new story plots you made up, they are very very good! I just…am too swamped to write them. So possibly after I'm done with 16 Ways to Say I Love You: Ayumi and Conan then I'll try and work on it for you! ^-^ (Finger peace sign) Please just stay patient with me for now, okay! I'll try to get it done soon. I'm already half-way finished with it. As for THIS story…oh ho no. We've got a LOOOOOONG way to go before THIS is finished! XD Please stay tuned because chapter 11 will eventually come, you KNOW it will! Thanks guys, I'm glad you all have decided to hang around and read MY stories, I FEEL SO LOVED! ^/_/^ Oh, and I'm sorry AiCon fans, but with all your posts, I'm starting to freckin' HATE AiCon. -.- I mean, SERIOUSLY! It's just getting RIDICULOUS! Well, I'll see you all when I see ya, bye!

Sincerely,

IHKF


	12. Ch 10 Preview

I know, I know. It's taking so long! I've just been really really busy and I'm not as inspired to write this fanfic as I used to be, but the tenth chapter is coming, I promise! :( For now, you guys have to deal with the preview of it. I'm sorry. I kind of have writer's block too!

"Ahhh, so we've got another jokester in the room, do we?"

"Pulling pranks since I was two."

Kaitou Kid let out a hearty laugh and smiled genuinely. "Hmm, I _do _need somebody on the inside…"

Heiji crossed his arms in a huff and glared menacingly. "You _do _know he's my cousin, right?" Kid's jaw dropped and he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Ahhh, so no help for me, eh?" Heiji smirked. "Well, looks that way."

"I'll gladly personally lock you in a jail cell, though."

The phantom thief gave them half-moon eyes as he stared at them. "Aggressiveness runs in the family I presume?"

The three of them sent scowls across the way at him. Kaitou Kid waved his hand back and forth. "Alright, alright. Listen, I just came here to introduce you to my new apprentice, whom you will be seeing at my next heist tonight." Out of nowhere came a young girl in a mask, with a long, red cape and a black jumpsuit flying down, landing perfectly on the rail. "Gentlemen, I'd like you to meet Mademoiselle Kid."


	13. A Day in Tokyo with Jake and Katsu pt 2

Kaitou Kid stood there, smiling like a Cheshire cat while the three detectives gawked and stared. "What's the matter, thief steal your tongue?" Jake narrowed his eyes at Kid, seemingly considering hurting him. "Kid…what are you doing here? It's still daytime!" Kudo's voice rang in through everybody's ears. Anger bubbled up in the east detective's stomach when Kaitou Kid smirked mischievously at him. "Well I heard a new detective was in town! The oh great detective of the North, correct?" He held his arms out to the sides, his cape blowing behind him at an incredibly fast pace. Jake smiled as he felt the anger in both of the older men in the room grow subconsciously. "You came all this way to see _me_? How cute."

"Ahhh, so we've got another jokester in the room, do we?"

"Pulling pranks since I was two."

Kaitou Kid let out a hearty laugh and smiled genuinely. "Hmm, I _do _need somebody on the inside…"

Heiji crossed his arms in a huff and glared menacingly. "You _do _know he's my cousin, right?" Kid's jaw dropped and he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Ahhh, so no help for me, eh?" Heiji smirked. "Well, looks that way."

"I'll gladly personally lock you in a jail cell, though."

The phantom thief gave them half-moon eyes as he stared at them. "Aggressiveness runs in the family I presume?"

The three of them sent scowls across the way at him. Kaitou Kid waved his hand back and forth. "Alright, alright. Listen, I just came here to introduce you to my new apprentice, whom you will be seeing at my next heist tonight." Out of nowhere came a young girl in a mask, with a long, red cape and a black jumpsuit flying down, landing perfectly on the rail. (A/N: Kind of like a super hero I guess! XD) "Gentlemen, I'd like you to meet Mademoiselle Kid." (A/N: Give me a break, guys. It's hard coming up with names like that! DX She would have been Kaitou Girl, Kaitou Lassie, or Kaitou Lass had I not smacked myself in the face.) She smiled slyly at the three of them. "Ohhh, three tentai-kuns I see!" She spoke in a, surprisingly, Osakan accented voice instead of French (considering the whole mademoiselle part.) Her eyes shined in humor and she smacked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. "Tsk tsk tsk, three detectives Sensei? That's so unfair."

"Patience, mademoiselle. Sooner or later you'll find yourself with a shrunken detective and their friends chasing after you." Shinichi bared his teeth at the magician, growling an unspoken warning. Mademoiselle Kid giggled evilly at his expressions, showing no true concern over the danger oozing from his aura. "Oh, do be nice Kudo-kun. I'd hate to see that precious wife of yours hurt."

The three of them gasped as Kaitou Kid shook his head. "For the last time, Mademoiselle; NOBODY gets hurt." She scoffed and crossed her arms. "Oh, but it's _so _much more _fun _that way."

"If you touch Ran-!"

"Ran's her name? I see, how quaint."

Heiji stood up. "You should get a better apprentice, Kid. This one seems a little more evil than other human beings?"

Kaitou Kid let out another hearty laugh and flicked his cape away from his side. "Who says she's human? Who says I didn't steal her from Japan's top government facility? I could easily do that, you know."

Kudo and Hattori gasped in fear as Jake chuckled under his breath. "Simple, because there ISN'T one in Osaka, and she has an Osakan accent. Why would they program her to have an Osakan accent if she wasn't in Osaka?"

Kid smiled waywardly. "Nice catch, Izawa-san. Seems as though you're a better detective than the two older than you."

This statement was not greeted in zeal by the two men.

Feeling sort of triumph against the other two detectives, Jake held back a smirk. "Well, we'd best be going!" Kid chuckled gripping the side of his ever-waving cape with his hand. "The audience awaits!" Mademoiselle mischievously giggled to herself taking her own cape over her head. "HEY! WAIT!" Heiji reached out to stop them, only to fall over the railing on the house, flailing his arms wildly as he feel face-first into the yard.

"What was that?" Kazuha and Katsu came running from the living room, worry flooding away as they saw the funny position Hattori had fallen into. "AHOU! HEIJI! WHY WOULD YOU RUN OVER THE RAILING?" Kazuha, not entirely sure how to feel about the situation, ran over to his side.

Shinichi and Jake glared at the sky in the general direction of which had been blocked by Kid and his new assistant. The same thought ran through both of their minds.

_This __**wasn't **__going to be easy…_

"Jake?" Katsu approached the two men, perplexed. "What happened? Why'd he run over the railing?" Curiosity was peaked in her mind; when that happened, Katsu was going to get answers, and Jake knew this. "Oh, he was trying to swat a fly and when he couldn't he got suicidal and jumped over the rails." Jake shrugged, rolling his shoulders as if this was a normal occurrence. "Same old, same old."

Katsu and Kazuha raised quizzing eyebrows at the boy, and then exchanged disapproving glances.

^_^ O_O X_X O/_/O ^_O :) DOTS

"So what are we going to do?"

Shinichi set down his cup of Cinnamon Vanilla tea, passing the two other detectives a practical expression. "Our first priority may be Ran-neechan and Kazuha-neechan. I trust Kid not to do anything to them, but the girl isn't so trustworthy." Jake stated, handing his input down to the table like pie. "I don't think so. While it IS against his morals to HURT a person, it isn't against his 'way of life' to kidnap them." Heiji insisted, not even looking in Jake's general facility. His mind was elsewhere, concentrated on either Shinichi, or the door to the next room that held his wife, child, and **possibly with much luck**, his soon to be bloodline family member (if Jake ever got the stomach). Jake scoffed. "Oh please, you're just being protective of your wife and child."

Heiji glared. "D^N STRAIGHT!"

Shinichi rubbed the sides of his nose, the closest part to his eyes, as if he had a migraine. "I agree with Heiji, Jake. Something tells me Ms. 'Perfect Assistant' is going to be trouble." _Both for Kid, AND us…_

The girl was a new factor in his heist. This heist had been released five weeks ago, a plan to get the subdued blatancy of the End Solstice Gem. It was a pure gray piece of jewelry, it hadn't shined since the early 1600's and no matter how much polish you used, it never deemed bright enough to wear. Even the darkest of jewelry glittered. It seemed as though this Gem sucked up the sunlight! It was held in Matsumoto, where it faced the sun, supposedly waiting for the day the star's reflection would show.

"So you seriously think that she's going to turn against Kid's orders- his rules that set him apart from other thieves?"

"Possibly."

"You're insane. She's his ASSITANT! She HAS to have SOME degree of respect for him."

"Jake!" Heiji interrupted. "We could say that if we knew where she _came _from, who she _was_. For all we could know, she's some type of Assassin hired by some type of wannabe Black Organization that wants Kid dead! We can't trust Kid to keep her under control."

"Kid's no idiot, cous." Jake fired back. "If there was a plan to get rid of him, no matter how devious it is, I'm' SURE he would find a way to get out of it. He's going after the jewel tonight!"

"It's in his character but still!" Shinichi broke in.

"HE'S 'EFFING KAITOU KID!"

"HE'S ONLY HUMAN!" Heiji took a deep breath, repeating the same action Shinichi had performed seconds ago. "Humans make mistakes. Kid isn't perfect, Jake. _He _makes mistakes. Heiji and I can give you solid proof of that."

"I never said he was- that he couldn't make mistakes."

"Yes, but what you were saying implied that as your thought." Shinichi took a breath. "He may not show it, but he gets nervous around detectives. He tends to trip- a **lot**. The chances are good he could trip over her."

Moments passed and the room was silent again.

Jake leaned back on his hands, defeated.

"It doesn't seem likely he would mess up on this, not on something _this _important."

But with one last hit…

Jake had been right. This thought occurred to both older detectives, but as an effect of their pride they pushed it away. This caused pure awkwardness to ensue the room, casting an evil twitching and leg-jolting spell over the three of them.

Silence is golden, tape is silver.

Jake stood up, tired of sitting on the floor around a small table. It made him uncomfortable. "Whatever. Well, I'm going to sleep. Good luck keeping your girl's safe." Waltzing fashionably out of the room- a usual act of defiance for him- Jake shut the door behind him, careful not to wake up the baby in the next room. This left Heiji and Shinichi to wallow in frustration, deciding what plan to use to protect the girls.

^_^ O_O X_X O/_/O ^_O :) DOTS

Cherry lips smiled deviously. "Sensei? Isn't it time?"

"Very close! They're not going to know what hit them!"

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"HEY! WHERE'S KID?"

The audience was crowded; Kid had been past twenty minutes late!

"This has never happened before!" A local news reporter spoke vividly and anxiously into their camera.

"KID IS TWENTY MINUTES LATE!"

Confusion, worry, and anger exploded throughout the crowd, pretty much the entire city as the minutes continued to tick by that the Phantom Thief was missing.

Where was he?

What was he doing?

Twenty more minutes passed, then ten more.

Kid was over thirty minutes late.

^_^ O_O X_X O/_/O ^_O :) DOTS

"Neh, Heiji?"

"Yeah, Kazuha?"

"Kaitou Kid's apprentice is possibly coming to kill me and our son, right?"

"Yes."

"And so you are protecting me while Shinichi went home to protect Ran, right?"

"Yeah, what's with all these dumb questions?"

"Nothing, I just wanted to make sure you had a reason to hold me this close." Kazuha was blushing a deep shade of red, holding the baby boy in her arms. Heiji held her in his lap, arms protectively around her. He imagined Kudo doing something similar- if not more provocative- to Ran at his own house. After all, the two of them didn't _have_ a child to worry about scarring for life. Baby, or not…

"Hey, we're married. As long as you want to, I can do whatever the heck it is I want to ya."

A list of ideas ran through his mind.

But this was NOT the time to be proving to Kazuha just how much he loved her; this was the time to be protecting his family. And protect his family he will.

^_^ O_O X_X O/_/O ^_O :) DOTS

"That dinner was great!"

"Yeah, I haven't had fancy tuna before! It was delicious!" (A/N: REFERENCES! XD)

Aoi spoke cheerily in response to Atsuko's earlier statement, saying how good the sushi had been. Kyo spoke happily and diligently to Maria, who started teasing him about trying to give his food to her mainly because he hated sushi. He defended himself by stating he had been starting to feel sick. But Maria, being the good detective she was, asked him why he hadn't showed any signs of it or why he had asked for a hamburger afterwards.

Anna sighed. All in all, it had been a great day. The movie, sure, had sucked. The park had been less than peaceful but fun. But the dinner was a nice, calming and gentle experience. This made her mood jump up 50 levels from where it had been. The cold night air blew by the group, Anna keeping her eyes fixated on the kids. She couldn't help but feel a strong sense of nostalgia. "You're awfully quiet, tonight." Akira commented, flipping the page of the newspaper she was reading.

Anna gave her a hardened glare. "What are you saying? I've been talking."

"Yes, but not as much as usual. Should I be worried?"

"No, you shouldn't, you passive aggressive b!^(#." Anna let out a peculiar sigh, followed by a depressed grimace. Her mood dropped now by 40%.

"Oh cheer up, you baby." Akira rolled her eyes. "Here, why don't you read my newspaper?"

Frustrated with nothing else to do but walk, Anna gladly accepted the front page and the rest of the first portion of the printed paper.

^_^ O_O X_X O/_/O ^_O :) DOTS

Heiji looked up at the clock, eyes narrowed. It was time for the show Kid had promised; and Kid _never _broke the promise to perform.

^_^ O_O X_X O/_/O ^_O :) DOTS

I'M SO SORRY! I had no idea two months had already passed! I'M SO SORRY! I'VE BEEN SO SWAMPED! I mean, I kept working on it, but I always stopped early on 'cause I got bored! I'm so freckin' sorry! I promised myself that I'd get this done before I went on vacation to see family, though! ^_^ I'm leaving early Tuesday morning and the trip's going to take about 2 and a half days. T.T I DON'T LIKE PUBLIC RESTROOMS!

You all shouldn't expect to hear from me again for at LEAST until after New Year's.

OH! AND GUESS WHAT? Have you guys ever heard that if you put something sweet and strong under somebody's nose while they're sleeping and ask a question they'll answer you with a hum, a nod, or a straight out yes or no? WELL IF YOU DID IT REALLY WORKS! My friends gathered somebody who had fallen asleep, and after deciding not to put Tabasco sauce in their mouth (which due to it being 3:30 in the morning I pronounced 'Tabaco') we decided to do that. We took my friend perfume bottle, sprayed a paper towel with it in one big spot, rolled the spot up, then put it under the sleeping person's nose. We then proceeded to ask them questions about their likes and dislikes. They answered to each one unless it was based on their surroundings and the future. IT WAS THE COOLEST THING! After this, everybody took turns falling asleep to get asked these questions, just to see how they would answer (considering your subconscious is answering and not really you, so these are your real thoughts and feelings even if you don't know it.) I got so upset! T.T I was the only person who slept light enough to wake up at the questions! GRRRRR!

Well anyways, that's enough of my useless Banri Hidaka style rampaging. Please review! ^_^

AND DON'T BE ANGRY! T.T


	14. Detective Conan Crossover Contest!

Hey guys! Uhh, my friend and I just came up with a story idea, and we want YOU TO JOIN! XD Do you watch Detective Conan/Case Closed? Good! Do you watch Monster Buster Club? THEN YOU CAN JOIN! (Trying too hard to sound like a fighting arena announcer. SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY!) We want you guys to write a crossover with Monster Buster Club and Detective Conan! Here's the plot!

What would happen if there was a murder in the resort that the characters from MBC and DC are going to for one week only, but it was an alien the one that died?

The due date is July 19th.

Here are the rules:

Have fun

No same sex lemons (Sorry, yoai and yuri fans! CathyRulz4ever and I will BOTH have nightmares if we read lemons like that!)

Tell us if you're entering.

Age of character MUST BE AT LEAST 16 years old.

You are allowed to write lemons and we can have same-sex couples. We just don't want same sex lemons, considering I'm the one who can bear (even if I don't enjoy it) yoai and yuri while Cathy's the one who can bear lemons. You can't do both, guys! Seriously, please… DON'T!

Anyways, that's it! ^_^ Please please PLEASE enter and the person who writes the best story'll win!


	15. Guns N' Roses

**Chapter 11: Guns N' Roses (lol)**

Nakamori looked at his watch then up at the tower. Cursing under his breath, he lit up a cancer stick and stuck it aggressively in his mouth.

"Sir, I thought you quit!"

"I did."

"Then why are you-"

"I quit quitting."

The officer had nothing to say to that.

"DAD!"

His daughter did.

She stomped over and snatched the cigarette away from him, accidently making him bite half off. Noticing this, she held her hand out, sticking her other hand's wrist over her hip as she tapped her foot impatiently. He grimaced as he spit it out into her hand, the taste of the toxins lingering in his taste buds. Aoko waved her hand up and down, shaking it out. To any other person, this would have seemed gross. And it HAD at first, but after a full two months of catching him smoking and forcing him to spit the sticks out, she was unperturbed. "What did I tell you about smoking when you're trying to quit?"

"Yeah, yeah whatever; I can have one once in a while."

The raven-haired girl sighed deeply and turned to look at the shining lights of the jewel-filled tower. Over forty minutes late wasn't like him…

_Kaito… where are you?_

She still remembered the day he had told her he was Kid.

Uh, well; he didn't _tell _her- she just kind of _fell in_.

When an un-masked Kaitou Kid returned home, he had been pretty shocked at the young maiden sitting there in a chair and tapping her foot.

Oh, yes. Tapping of the foot- right OR left- had become a common thing now. It for some unknown reason had this unholy control over both Kaito and her father. _If only I had thought to do that in high-school. He would know I'm not HALF as easy as he likes to think I am! _Aoko had to admit, she was pretty displeased with the progress between her and Kaito. Aw, the heck with it! Who was she kidding? There was hardly any! The only thing different about the two of them is that they're out of high-school, she's a detective (following in her father's and- as far as she knows- her mother's footsteps), he was forced into a marriage with her, they had kids, and she knows his little secret. They were still just friends.

She was truly starting to hate that word…

Then, out of nowhere, the crowd was cheering!

Gasping and twisting all around to see the commotion, a white tuxedo at the top of the tower was made visible. "Ladies and Gentlemen!" The voice shocked and relived her. He took one look down at her, not that the crowd noticed. "Sorry for my tardiness, I had some things to attend to first." And then his smile was even brighter than the lights. Aoko finally let out a breath she had subconsciously been holding. _There you are…_

His little speech lasted a few minutes as the crowd that consisted mainly of fangirls gasped and 'ooh'ed and 'ahhh'ed. "So without further ado…"

The audience was ready! They wanted his performance more than anything!"

Aoko clenched her fists in anticipation. What would his closing sentence be this time?

"Goodbye!"

….wait, what?

Aoko checked her ears to see if there was anything stuck. Had she heard wrong? No, nothing was stuck in her ear. Looking back up with her puzzled expression, she saw him smile down at her. Well, it was still his usual cocky smile. He had SOMETHING up his sleeve. Then slowly, swiftly, and suddenly, he began to fall off the side of the tower. Aoko heaved in terror, she couldn't help it. "NOOOOO!"

Then she saw it, a young woman dressed in red and sexy black swooped down like magic and she somehow- as if she were Peter Pan or something- passed the ability onto him.

The crowd was shocked, amazed, bemused and terrified by the act as the two flew in the air.

Feeling the tiniest bit jealous, Aoko scoped around their flying bodies for a gem.

There was none…

She raised an eyebrow.

That meant…

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Kaitou Kid inspected the flying dummies that went everywhere in the sky, smirking and laughing a little in just the most seductive way possible to a female. (A/N: THAT was for you Kid obsessed girls and/or boys out there! ^_O) All of the cops and guards had ran outside out of sheer curiosity for the mystical trick, leaving the gray gem open to his gloved hands. Careful as to not trip any wires that may have been installed; he opened the glass container, gracefully picking up the prize. It shined brightly in the moonlight, the brightest any gem could. He felt himself frown the slightest while. It wasn't the Pandora Gem.

"Looking for something, Kid?"

Scared half-to-death by the sudden interruption, he twisted around. "GAH WAH WAH UBBA…huh?"

Okay, screw the Poker Face. There are some times in this world where the 'wtf' face holds rank over identity. "What the? What do you think you're doing in here, little girl? This is dangerous!"

Anna stood there, arms crossed over her chest as she slanted her hip with attitude. "So is tricking a bunch of cops to shoot at dummies while your partner controls them from the crowd with her cell phone, but nobody but me has said anything about it, I suppose." She smirked scornfully. "Oh yes, I see! Another little Tantei-san!" Scoffing, Anna kicked invisible dirt with her foot. "Don't call me Tantei-san. Call me Anna." She unfolded her arms and placed her little fingers over her necklace. "Anna Yoshida and I like to be shaken, not stirred if the Kid can handle that!"

The thief chuckled. "You're a pretty smooth kid! Very charismatic!"

Then he was scared to move.

That pose…

Those eyes…

That determination…

Oh shi-

"GAH! SHRUNKEN TEENAGE DETECTIVE!"

That's when he bee-lined for the open window that he had planned in case Nakamori was too smart for him.

WHAM!

Looking up to see what had thrown him down, he noticed a tanned arm poking out from the podium used for trophies that the museum had won. "Where do you think you're going?" Kid backed up in a rush as Jake turned around the corner, green eyes flickering in tasteful fire. "You always deliver the jewel back the night after the case. Sometimes even the night OF the case. Why?" Anna laughed. "Hey, Jake." He nodded. "Anna." Then he did a double-take, pupils shrinking. "WAIT! ANNA?" She shrugged. "Saw Kid's heist in the newspaper and thought I'd come check it out." Jake sighed, deciding to let it go. "How'd you know that that wasn't him flying out there?"

"Because I was standing right next to his little helper. She didn't even notice me." Kid glowered. They corner him and then act like he wasn't there! He slowly but surely started to move. "I don't think so buddy." Jake set a foot onto his chest. "You're not going anywhere. Not until you tell us why you always return them."

"You couldn't be looking for a specific gem, could you?" Jake gave Anna a questioning look. "Huh?"

"He seemed all happy before he checked it in the moonlight. When he raised it up his face fell. It seemed as though he didn't get the response he was hoping for."

"Neh?" Jake looked down at the magician with evil eyes. "Is that so-"

…..

"He got away while we were talking, didn't he?"

"Yep."

"D^^N he's smooth!"

"Explains how he keeps getting away from Nakamori-keibu."

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Kid- disguised as an older woman- exited the building. Taking in the fresh air and letting it back out, he rubbed his head. "Man that was close! I wasn't ready for that again!" He'd been out of shape recently, he'd admit it. He had two baby twins with a little girl whose loud-mouthed future-boyfriend spent the night consistently. He smiled. He had a good feeling about Hato.

"Sensei?" Kaito looked up.

There stood a tall model with long red hair and icy blue eyes. "Do you have the gem?"

"Nah, it wasn't the Pandora."

"Awww, you still should have taken it. I wanted to make a nice necklace with it."

"Come now, Yuzuki, we return the gems if they're not the Pandora Gem."

She laughed. "Relax, I was only joking."

She turned her head away from him, eyes still focused on his.

"Besides, don't you think that it would have kept the detectives from realizing your motives?"

Kaito held his poker face. That was true…

"I suppose you're correct." He could admit he was wrong when he was.

The girl inwardly sighed and turned away. "You better be more careful. The student may yet be the master."

He chuckled and twitched his bottom lip. "The saying is actually 'the student may yet _become _the master.'"

She seethed through her teeth. "Yeah, I know. And that's not what I meant."

She walked away in her trench coat, leaving Kaito and his skipping heart beat to race.

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"THAT'S IT! TAKE THEM DOWN NOW! I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS LITTLE PRESENTATION OF KID'S VERSION OF 'DUMBO'!"

Aoko snickered. Well, that was one way to put it.

She wasn't worried. Even when her father said that nobody ever listened…

Then a brave man shot up at the two magicians in the sky.

Aoko felt her laughter cease and her heart stop beating.

The rest of the police force started shooting as well.

She wanted to scream no, she wanted to tell her dad to make them stop firing- but she couldn't. Her legs were numb and she was stuck in her spot. Her throat was so tight she couldn't make a sound. Then the bodies fell to the ground, but what really got their attention was the body that fell from the glass window where the gem was being held…

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"I can't believe he got away!"

"Don't beat yourself up over it. Even your cousin can't get Kid."

"BUT I'M BETTER THAN MY COUSIN!"

Anna chortled.

Then a hole went through the glass, hitting the roof. Startled, the two of them jumped up to the window. "What the? Nakamori's actually using guns?" Jake hissed and grabbed his head. "Man, he must be PISSY without his cancer sticks! Even on his WORTS days he's never tried to SHOOT Kid down!"

A million thoughts ran through Anna's head. "This isn't good! We have to stop this before somebody gets-"

…..

Jake raised an eyebrow, keeping his eyes on the scene. "Yeah, gets what? Hurt? 'Cause I'm with ya on THAT one!"

He got no response. "Hey, you hear me? Or are you just ignoring me?" His words caught in his throat and his body shook. Anna stood there, a bullet that had been shot through the window by an unsuspecting police officer through her chest.

"YOSHIDA!"

Before he could stop it, she fell forwards- breaking the damaged glass.

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Uh-oh! So it looks like the assistant isn't shy on letting Kaito know why she's there!

Oh, who am I kidding? I think all of you are more scared for Anna who just got shot because of the random shooting and fell through the glass window on the 10th floor of a tower. Yeah, that's gonna pose some issues… xD I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!

OHHHHHH! WE'RE SO CLOSE NOW! WE'RE SO VERY CLOSE!

And by THAT, I mean maybe two or three more chapters until the first movie takes place! ^_^ YAHOO!

BTW, sorry for not updating for about three months, but I've been really busy and anything I've come up with has been for another fanfiction ark or an AyumixConan oneshot (which is why it's been being updated so recently and frequently lately.)

BTWA (By the way AGAIN), I do NOT own Guns N' Roses, I figured that it fit and it was funny! xD


	16. What Could He be Hiding?

**Chapter 12: What Could He be Hiding?**

"Anna-chan!"

Ayumi squeezed her eyes; why wouldn't they open?

"Neh, Anna-chan!"

Ayumi recognized the voice…but who was it?

"Anna-chan, wake up!"

The voice was louder now, more precise.

"Anna-chan! Anna-chan! Wake up! Wake up, PLEASE!"

7-year-old Anna Yoshida finally allowed her eyes to open, pupils frantically scanning the room. What room was this? Where was she?

She looked at the door. A window door? Could she have been in school?

No… then why was she lying down?

Not to mention she could hardly move. Slowly moving her eyes to the bed beside her, she saw a young woman with a clear mask on her mouth. Wires attached willy nilly to the bed and wall.

Was she in the…? Oh…oh…oh, OHHHHH!

Looking straight up, she saw three small figures leaning over her bed. She couldn't make out their expressions, even if she had a pretty good idea of who they were. Drip, drop, drip. What in the world? Was that water dripping on her face?

…Or was one of them crying?

"ANNA-CHAN!"

Suddenly, the bright light that was watering her eyes and blinding her cleared, and above her was a crying Aoi. Chiyo and Atsuko looked worried… but not like Aoi.

"A-Aoi-kun..."

The child's eyes opened wider at the sound of his name. "Anna-chan, you're awake!"

"OOF!"

Anna looked down at the child that had thrown itself into her arms, crying into her chest. "Aoi-kun… hey."

"Anna-chan… Anna-chan! I was so scared we lost you!"

The Brave Kid continued to cry into her, arms wrapped tightly around her chest. "Aoi-kun…"

She couldn't say anything. Aoi was crying into her the way she could hardly _wish _to cry into Conan all those years ago. Slowly reaching up her hand, she began to pet Aoi's head, gently kissing it. "Shhhh…I'm alright. No need to cry." Aoi leaned his head up, red puffy eyes pulling at the strings in her chest. "I missed you, Anna-chan!"

Smiling, she nodded her head. Aoi was a sweet kid, one hard to disobey.

He was one she truly cared for…

"Aoi-kun, it's okay. I'm here. I'm not leaving you guys." She leaned down and pecked his cheek, hugging him all the while.

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"ANNA!" Kyo ran up beside the bed, hands shaking. "Anna! Are you alright?" The shrunken child smiled and nodded. "Yes, I'm just fine!"

Hana rushed over with as much speed and anticipation as her son, placing kisses all over Anna's cheeks. "OH YOU POOR BABY! WHO DID THIS?"

"Hana-san, it was an accident! I swear!" Maria offered, sighing at the woman. "Well, who DID do this?"

"Technically, Nakamori-keibu. Literally, a cop trying to shoot down the Kid dummies."

Hana inhaled and hugged Anna once more, squeezing the breath out of her. "Mom! MOM! WOUNDS! WOUNDS! SHE STILL HAS WOUNDS!" Terrified, Hana pulled away. Anna smiled up at her, shaking her head. "It's alright, Daiki-san. You can hug me. Just not so tightly!" Reaching up, she wrapped her little arms around the overbearing mother who, in turn, cried a little into her shoulder. "Oh you poor baby, we were so worried!" Hina joined in, patting the little girl on the head while he wrapped an arm around his wife. Once the two pulled away, Kyo leaned down and kissed Anna's head, holding her. "We _were_ so worried…" On the inside, Ayumi blushed. On the outside, she silently inhaled, taking in his scent.

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"You truly are different from him, aren't you?"

"Hmm?"

Ayumi set down the fork she had in her fruit bowl.

Akira chuckled.

"You… your actions towards everyone are so… DIFFERENT from the way he would have acted."

"He? He who?"

Violence flashed through the scientist's eyes. "Don't play dumb, Yoshida. You know who I'm talking about." Recognizing what she meant, Anna turned away. Her eating utensil played around with the strawberries and watermelons, juice sprouting from the nutrient bases. "Thanks for not saying his name."

"No problem, but you MUST get the hint sooner."

"We could give him a nickname."

"Definitely, an amusing one perhaps?"

The two exchanged a look, one that said an abundance of things.

One: they could trust one another.

Two: they understood each other.

Three: This was going to be fun…

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"Kyo-niichan, where are you going?"

Kyo stopped in his tracks, breath caught in his throat. "Uh…Uhhh…."

Anna looked up at him, batting her eyelashes innocently. "I wanna go with you!" She clung to his leg, yanking on the bottom of his jeans. _You were trying to sneak away, why not let the innocent little girl know? I could understand your mom and dad, but what's the little one gonna do?_

"No, no, no, no, no! You can't!"

"Why not?"

"Anna-chan, you just can't!"

Anna's eyes began to water up and she sniffled, letting her butt cushion her as she let herself fall on the ground. "B…But I _want _to go. Kyo-niichan takes me everywhere, doesn't he?" _Thank god for years of acting lessons!_

"A-Anna-chan! D-D-D-Don't cry!"

"But I-" she coughed on her tears "-wanna go!"

She held her breath and began to weep. "I wanna! I wanna! I wanna!"

Kyo sighed and picked her up.

_YES! SUCCESS!_

Then he set her on her bed and handed her a book.

_Or…not._

"Look, I'm sorry I can't take you but I _have _to go."

"B-B-But-!"

"Here, look at the book I gave you! It was Ayumi's favorite as a child, it may be yours too." He handed her a rubber duck. "Maybe you can take a bath, too." Then he handed her a soccer ball. "Ayumi loves these things- well, loves pretending they're some kid I don't know from Tokyo and slamming her foot in his face, anyways." _Oh, so he knows about that…_

He then handed her a snow globe that held a picture of a sunset. "Here, Ayumi always loved staring into this when she was your age. Heck, I've seen her do it at OUR age." He smiled fondly at the memory. "She used to say how it made her think about where she was going to be in ten years, about what she would be doing, who she would be seeing, what places she would go. She said that no matter what future she envisioned she saw the three of us, me, Maria, and her, holding hands and walking into the sunset together." He laughed. "Of course, she was still in the 2nd grade when she said that, but she looked so serene." Anna's eyes glistened at the memory as she watched him think of the past event. _You say I looked serene… now that's you._

"Well, I better be going. See ya, Anna-chan!"

"HEY, WAIT!"

SLAM!

Resting her arm beside her, she pushed herself off the bed. "Humph, think you can get rid of me. We'll see about that!"

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"Geez! How far is he going? We're almost on the outskirts of the neighborhood!" Anna slumped onto a wall and turned her head around the corner. Kyo, not noticing his little stalker, continued to walk down the road. Anna sighed. What was he, just going for a walk?

Anna gasped, eyes set on him, as he walked up to a fancy restaurant. "What? He's going to a fancy restaurant alone?" She narrowed her eyes. _No, he's meeting somebody. He'd never go to a fancy restaurant like that alone! One, there isn't anything to celebrate. Two, he thinks dining in a fancy restaurant alone is awkward and uncomfortable! _Then her eyes widened. _Wait! Who is it he's meeting that __**I **__can't know about?_

She bit her lip. This wasn't good! Looking around for a way to get in, she spotted a group of chorus members. _Hey, it must be the entertainment! _

Taking a hold of her breath as to not let it get knocked out of her should she get kicked or pushed by accident, she dived into the middle of the crowd unnoticed.

"How many?"

"18."

"Very well."

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The group walked in, some of them aware of the cute little child at their feet. Although they mentally questioned it, they thought better then to get a cute little girl in trouble that probably just walked out the wrong door when she tried to find the restroom.

Anna finally parted with the group, letting out the air she had been holding in. She looked back as they group dressed in black 'wobbled' (well, it looked like they were wobbling) away as a tight bunch. _Well, not the most original way to sneak somewhere, but I suppose it works._

Anna turned around; looking for the boy she grew up with. _Now, where is he?_

_AH HAH!_

Kyo sat at a table, speaking merrily to somebody.

They made him laugh.

Anna bit her lip. Kyo only laughed around her and Maria. He usually thought everybody else were idiots! _So who IS this? _Anna walked over to the empty booth behind him, still not seeing the human in question. _Son of a- could she BE any more conspicuous? _

Slowly titling her head behind, she saw him lean forward.

_W-What? NO! HE CAN'T BE!_

He began whispering sweet-nothing to the other girl, and while that satisfied her for his kiss, she was still unsatisfied with this woman's identity. _Well he's obviously dating her, but that's no reason for him to hide it from Anna. He probably suspects that I'm going to tell Ayumi, myself, of his girlfriend. But that doesn't make any sense! He TOLD me he'd see other girls while I was gone! So why hide it from me?_

Then he pulled away, and that's when the suspense ended and the storm finally hit her.

No… it couldn't be…

_MARIA?_

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Well, that's it for today's chapter! I hope you guys enjoy this one! ;) Ohhhhh how I've been waiting for this chapter to get out. FINALLY! The point where so many relationship points in the movie are covered! Anna obviously cares for Aoi more than Conan cared for Ayumi, Akira and Anna are getting closer; Hana and Hani care about Anna as though she was their second child, and KYO AND MARIA ARE DATING! WHOOO! This will be a major turn in events and will hopefully, if I write it correctly, will have much to do with the chapter following this next one. The next one will mainly be about- oh, you know what? Let Anna explain it! ^-^

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"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! MARIA, my best friend who's a girl, is dating Kyo, my best guy friend who I've wanted to date since I moved here- MY REPLACEMENT CONAN- wait… that's what he is to me? A replacement Conan? No! No, I love him! He means WAY more to me than- WAIT! I LOVE HIM? WHY AM I JUST REALIZING THIS NOW? Now even MORE is piled on me when that shock leaves me as Ayumi Yoshida temporarily once more! What am I going to do? What are THEY going to do to hide it from me? Oh, fantastic. What's a teenage girl detective prodigy to do?"

NEXT TIME: BROKEN WINGS & POISON

_Ayumi slowly turned around, a sweet smile on her lips. Her hands were folded together behind her back. "You told me that when I came back, you'd drop everything and everybody…for me."_


	17. STILL KICKING AND SCREAMING! XD

"Ayumi…"

"Kyo, not right now."

"Ayumi, you have to-"

"Kyo, no."

Kyo growled as his feet hit the floor, one after another, a red mist covering his eyes. "AYUMI! RUN!"

The detective turned around. "Wha… what?"

"AYUMI YOU HAVE TO RUN!" Maria wasn't far behind her boyfriend, chasing after her friend as the dock started to shake under their feet.

Ayumi gasped, looking downwards. _Oh no… not them. They already activated it?_

"Ayumi, move!"

"KYO! MARIA! TURN BACK!" Ayumi placed her foot on a piece of wood that suddenly cracked beneath her, her own screams becoming noise to her ears as she reached out for her friends.

She took in her final moments.

Kyo's terrified face as the bridge separating them broke, Maria's wide open mouth as she yelled.

Then it all went black.

**Just a preview so you know it's still going. :)**


	18. Broken Wings and Poison

**Chapter 13: Broken Wings and Poison**

No…. No.

This wasn't true. It COULDN'T be!

Anna sat there, watching as Kyo laughed happily with Maria, chatting away about ANYTHING.

"…. No." She could feel her quiet voice slip through her lips.

_No, no, NO!_

Jumping off of the chair as fast as she possibly could, her little feet hitting the floor with a tiny thump; she turned and bolted straight for the door.

The waiter's head followed her as she ran out the door, one eyebrow sticking up over the huge monocle on his eye. "… Well I NEVER!"

_No… no PLEASE don't let this be true! He CAN'T be with her! He just CAN'T!_

How she HATED this feeling… this horrible, HORRIBLE feeling. She knew very well what it was. She felt it when "Conan" left and became "Shinichi" again.

Jealousy.

Pain.

Yearning.

Regret.

Horror.

Bitterness.

Love.

All of these emotions were mixing into one and they banged around inside her chest, beating away at her. The pain was now strangling her body, her legs giving out on her as her body hit the floor. She landed quietly on her butt, her shoes scuffed and dirty from the running. Had she been in a better place, she would have worried about when she got said dirt on her shoes and if she had left a track of dirt on the floor.

"AH!"

The pain she felt was unbearable, uncomfortable and all around tear-jerking. That was what confused her. Yes, heartbreak and betrayal did a number on one's heart (especially when there was nothing she could do about it), but never, as far as she knew, enough to cause a physical strain on muscles like it was.

She shut her eyes and suppressed her urge to scream bloody murder when she realized what was _really _happening.

Her body was growing again…

Her torso fell to the ground soon after she took her seat on the sidewalk. Anna let out another scream as her limbs started to stretch and her clothes ripped against her body, shredding and strangling her limbs when they fabric was strong enough to hold. She didn't even know if fate was at least being kind enough to let her keep her decency.

At the moment, she didn't really care.

She was scared, horrified. The very notion that she was changing in a public place, there for the world to see frightened her and would petrify her on the spot if she could move in the first place. She could feel the crowd growing around her, shocked glances and concerned mumbles floating in through one ear and out through the other.

Suddenly, the familiar smell of gasoline came rushing to her nose and the rumbling of a car-at-work crashed into her eardrums, making an entrance the voices lacked. She silently thanked whatever god that may exist that she wasn't in the middle of the road. Anna lifted her head up ever-so-gently, trying her best to get a look at the car.

It was too bright, though. The car's headlights blinded her vision, causing her to let out a yelp at the sting of energy pushing against her eyes. She turned away, shutting them tightly and praying- just _praying_-nobody would try to take her to the hospital.

The pain was almost unbearable now, and the sounds of car doors slamming beckoned her to try once more to look ahead. She struggled to bring her head up once more, only to find her body wasn't having any of it.

As her senses faded, the outline of a woman sitting beside her faded as well.

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Numb.

Oh hell!

EVERYTHING WAS **NUMB**!

Anna shot up in her bed, alarmed by her lacking sense of touch.

"Yoshida-san."

"AH!"

Turning around, she found Akira sitting there in a red plastic chair, armed with a decorative blue pen, a simple purple notebook and modest blood-red petticoat hanging over her shoulders. Her hair hung around her back, motionless to her trivial movements.

"Oh…. Haru-san. Hi."

"We are putting you into hospital beds _far… too… often_, Yoshida-san."

Anna chuckled, nervously reaching up to grasp limply at the back of her neck. "Oh… well… heh heh heh."

Akira rolled her eyes, seemingly cross. "Well you probably want to go visit that darling Detective Boy of yours… say hello and let him know you still exist."

Anna sighed as the memories came flooding back into her brain, running through her veins and screwing with her emotions in a way she couldn't quite fathom. "You mean you found me and you didn't call Kyo to tell him Anna wasn't coming home last night?"

"Oh no, I called in for Anna-chan."

Anna raised an eyebrow. "Well then why does he need to know I'm alive? He is already well aware-"

Akira interrupted her by pressing the longest four fingers to her lips before pointing downwards. "Don't you think it's a TAD BIT strange that you have to look down to talk to me- even when in a hospital bed?"

Anna looked down, observing her body.

Let's see now…

Boobs over here… a butt back there… curves there…

Yep. She was Ayumi again.

"… How did I do it THIS time?"

"Well for whatever reason your heart was racing at extremely high speeds, causing what's left over of the alcohol used to clean your wounds to give you one last round of being Ayumi for the moment." At this, she finally seemed to find some hilarity in the situation.

Ayumi sneered. "Fantastic. That's EXACTLY what I need right now. To find out that my best friend that I'm in love with is dating my OTHER best friend."

"… Did you just say you were in love with him, Yoshida?"

All was silent.

"Apparently."

Ayumi sighed, putting a hand to her forehead. How was she going to do this…?

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Kyo stood there, jaw dropped as Ayumi stood in front of him, hand waving.

"Hello!"

"H… Hello." To put it simply he was speechless. Ayumi had _just left _a couple of days ago- and now she was back again? Why?

Why did she feel the need to come back?

"Why are you here?"

That question came out with much more venom than he meant for it to, and he could tell behind Ayumi's eyes she felt it and was a tad offended. He cursed at himself mentally, erasing the mental image of Ayumi's bright eyes briefly faltering before returning to their full glory again.

It was just as he was getting ready to say something- to apologize, that the sadness disappeared and the glow came back- along with a cheerful smile he couldn't decide was genuine or forced. "Oh I'm just… you know… stopping by- seeing what's up!"

She hated how her voice sounded right now. It was nervous- anxious.

He noticed.

It was nothing like the usual confident, but not cocky, voice that came from her mouth. No, there was something off today.

"Well, um- come in!"

As he moved to the side, Ayumi thanked him and walked by, hearing the door close behind her.

"So… what's up?"

"Nothing much. Just solving cases and keeping Maria from throwing herself at guys." He laughed, glad that he had fixed a joke into the situation.

"Well of course! She tends to do that often."

Kyo's head snapped towards her. He had intended it as a joke- but Ayumi was talking like it was something Maria actually did?

Ayumi turned her back to him and lightly nibbled at her lips as his shoulders tensed. No, she shouldn't say something like that. Maria was her friend- her FRIEND.

How could she say stoop so low?

"Check that, it's the other way around!" Ayumi let out a giggle, letting Kyo's shoulders ease up and earning a small laugh from him, too.

"It must be a real handful."

Kyo shook his head. "Ehhh not really. They stay away most of the time."

"Of course they do! You're YOU!" Ayumi laughed.

Raising an eyebrow, Kyo smiled, hoping to mask whatever else it was he was feeling underneath his joy that she had returned.

SLAM!

"Hey, Kyo! I got the whipped cream and caramel for later- oh." Ayumi's eyes snapped as Maria bursted through the door, shopping bags in hand(s). Unaware for a few blissful seconds, her eyes landed on Kyo's uneasy ones. Maria scanned the room for the trouble, surprised at the company. Her eyes landed on Kyo's again, whose eyes said to "FIX WHAT YOU SAID! QUICK!". Slowly but surely, her eyes wandered over to Ayumi's, which were filled with bewilderment and something else she couldn't quite register.

"Whipped cream and caramel for… later?"

"Uhh… yeah!" Maria laughed nervously, holding it out. "For dessert! We're all having some Apple Pie!"

_So I was right… they're trying to hide it from me._

_AND THEY'RE HAVING SEX?!_

Ayumi chuckled. "Oh! I see!"

There was an awkward silence.

"So who's up for lunch?"

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Of course… there was a dead body.

There ALWAYS had to be a GOD! DAMN! DEAD! BODY!

Ayumi sighed as she gratefully took the glass of water from the waitress. They had, after very little debate from Ayumi's or Kyo's end, chosen to eat at a small little fast-food joint, located under a sweet steep hill, one with a fantastic view. Not very many knew about it and had it not been for Maria's love of the greasy, unhealthy foods restaurants like this provided, she wouldn't have known, either.

The unlucky civilians (plus murderer and her three-man group) were all once again trapped in the unforgiving clutches of the police force, the doors shut tight and secured by a lock and, as always, two guards on high alert standing on both sides of said exit. It had been an awkward lunch already, her awaiting some form of confession from her two best friends impatiently, like she was waiting to see the results of a test she knew she failed. Then some idiot had to go and kill another idiot which in turn locked her in the restaurant with her two idiot best friends and the idiot suspects with the idiot waiters and waitresses.

_Nobody_… _was getting a good tip_.

She knew she wasn't the death magnet… so who could it be?

_Well, he DOES look like him. _She thought spitefully, glancing over at Kyo. His green eyes were noticeable entranced by the French girl that sat beside him. She grimaced. It still didn't sit well with her, and if she didn't know about the two of them already, she definitely would have suspected it. They weren't very tactful when it came to acting.

_Who am I kidding? His face is what caught my attention in the first place- oh. Oh no. Wait. _Ayumi set down her glass, hunching over and looking into it, suddenly very seemingly perturbed with it.

_He caught my eye because he LOOKED LIKE CONAN?! But- but- but- but- but- but then that means I only love him because I see-_

Ayumi sat up straight, hands holding the sides of her head and pulling her hair in the most painful way, her nails digging into her skin, just enough as to not break into her flesh. _BUT THAT MEANS I ONLY LOVE HIM BECAUSE HE LOOKS, SOUNDS, AND ACTS LIKE CONAN!_

The detective slumped back down into her seat, hair a mess and chest heaving as her arms locked themselves over her head.

"You stuck?"

Her eyes trailed up to Maria, who was leaning over the table innocently (she vaguely thought that it was about time that the two stopped gawking at each-other). "What?"

"Are you stuck?"

Ayumi looked down at herself and then all around at the area surrounding her.

"Uhhhh…. No?"

"Stuck on the **case**."

"Ohhhhh! Yeah. THAT'S why I'm ready to throw my head against a wall."

_SO SHUT UP AND LET ME THINK!_

Kyo sighed, laying his head in his hands as he ran them through his locks of hair. "Great… so all three of us have NO clue how the killer got that body on the roof of the diner and then proceeded to return to the table where all of his friends were waiting in a matter of 30 seconds?"

Ayumi peered over towards the three suspects who had been rounded up. _WHY is it always THREE?_

The people stood there, guilty expressions on their faces. The girl's eyes narrowed. _Why do they all look so… guilty?_

She turned to scan the three tables where their friends had sat. There was one booth, one table by the kitchen and one by the window. Her eyes narrowed at said seat. As she recalled, it was a woman in a seat in THAT table that spotted the body hanging lifelessly from the roof. The tables were all pretty close together and by the looks of it all three had been there for lunch and were from the same company. After all, every single one of them wore a coat, held a suitcase, and wore dress shoes or high heels. The woman with a scary tall pair of black, what she assumed was, leather heels had been released from work at 1:00 PM. She was dressed in clothing of poor quality, her wedding ring that peeked out of her pocket was the only shiny thing on her, and even then it wasn't expensive. It was definitely fake gold. Was she there cheating on her husband? The man in the dressy, well-worn, trench coat was released at 1:15 PM. He texted on his cell-phone excitedly, a bright smile on his face despite his current circumstances. That was suspicious. The last man with a tacky hat (trying to impress a boss?) was released at 1:13. She wasn't through with her deduction of him. She'd come back to him later.

Ayumi looked over at the body.

It seemed as though the death was by beating since there were limbs turning in all of the wrong places, almost trying to meet one another at the small of his back. It was disturbing seeing a human being bend like that. It was found at 1:30 PM, a half-an-hour after the woman's release, twenty-five minutes after the trench coat man's release, and twenty-seven minutes after the hipster's release.

The dearly departed didn't seem to work at the same place the tree suspects did. The only reason they were suspects at all was because they had entered before the body was found and all had refused to order when they first came in (the woman had just ordered some tea and the two men got soda and water). They just sat there, waiting. She looked back over to the tacky-hatted man, beginning to deduce him.

Her train of thought was interrupted by a giggle.

Ayumi turned to see Kyo and Maria whispering to each-other. She sucked in her cheeks and then frowned.

_What am I __**doing **__here? They look happy together…_

Her eyes narrowed as Kyo, thinking she wasn't watching, stealthily slipped Maria a kiss on the cheek. She blushed in return, giggling silently under her breath to keep Ayumi from hearing.

But she was _seeing_.

She was _seeing_ and it _hurt_.

(Dear god, this was a hostile work environment! How was she going to get any thinking done?!)

A normal girl- a normal girl was something she could have handled. It would mean she didn't have any truly _serious _ties to Kyo which would make it easier for him to let go when she returned to being Ayumi.

Ayumi cringed. That sounded really _really _bad. She may not be making him wait for her but she was letting him sacrifice a relationship that he's worked on for _her_. When she finally returned to normal she was going to be a _home-wrecker_.

But as she looked up at them once more and they whispered about the case she knew she would have to give him up…

She couldn't keep hanging onto him like this anymore. She's had Kyo for years now. It was time for her to give him to the next girl. And if she had to- she was thankful it was Maria.

_**Ding…**_

Ayumi's eyes widened.

She stood up like lightning, scaring the living daylights out of her two friends who bounced back in their chairs, looking up at her. "Uhh… Ayumi? Is there something wrong?" Maria gulped, eyes meeting hers. Ayumi paid them no mind, choosing instead to focus on the case in front of her. She rushed over to the window brushing a guard out of the way, not even lightly, as she snapped the ungreased window open. The guard made an indignant sound, but silenced himself when Ayumi quickly responded with a 'sorry'.

She looked up at the hill, tracing the steep, steep curve with her eyes.

Yes… potentially deadly.

Not wasting another second, she turned on her heel and ran over to the corpse, ripping the hands out from behind his back.

Yep… that was it. That was definitely it.

"I've solved it. I've solved the case."

Kyo's eyes widened as he stood up as well. "Well? What did you come up with?"

Ayumi looked at him over her shoulder, giving him a confident "know-it-all" smirk.

She was back.

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"Can we PLEASE go now?" The woman with long dark hair, glasses, deep blue eyes and bangs spoke. Her lips were a bit more plump than the usual and her business shirt covered her entire body from her chest down to her hips. "We HAVE been here for thirty minutes; don't you think it's time we went home?" This time it was a tall man with a block-shaped jaw and dark curly hair with hazel eyes- the one with the trench coat. Ayumi waited silently for the hipster to make a rebellious response, only to have him stand there quietly and stare at her. She looked at him and quirked an eyebrow.

"No comments?"

"No way, they made comments. I'm not them."

"Right…"

Ayumi looked up at the other two. "You can go sit down."

The two looked at each-other, surprised at her sudden permission, but certainly not ungrateful.

"Not you two, him."

She nodded towards the quiet 'rebel', who glanced at her- bemusedly reading her from the side as he hesitantly took his seat. "You two are the real suspects."

The woman cringed in fright and the man narrowed his eyes in disbelief. "Say what you will, then, young lady. Then let us go home."

Maria and Kyo stared up at her blankly from the sidelines, shuffling uncomfortably at her distance from them.

Usually, she would tell them who the criminal was.

She didn't even try to this time.

Ayumi nodded to herself. Yes. This was how it would be.

She would walk in, say hello, stay for dinner, solve the murder that probably occurred AT dinner, and then take her leave.

For a little while, she could handle that.

"This restaurant is a Mom and Pop place. In other words, not very many people know about its existence. It doesn't help that it's on the outskirts of town, under a hill tall enough for people to see the sunrise and sunset…"

She slanted her eyes into a cold stare. "… under a hill tall enough to kill people."

"What?" Kyo arched an eyebrow and was quickly elbowed by Maria, her silent plea for him to shut up.

Hiroto watched, interested in what his favorite detective had to say.

"You, sir… you're happily married, yes?"

He nodded. "How did you-?"

"He didn't eat anything because he's here off work waiting for his boss." She motioned back to the man in the hat, seated at the table where her trio had been. "You didn't eat anything because your wife hadn't texted you back about what she wanted, yet."

Hiroto looked over at the man questioningly. He knew what the look meant and handed his phone over. The inspector scrolled through the text sent to a number entitled 'the love of my life'. "The people you marry are supposed to be the only people that can make you smile in a horrible situation. It just made sense that you were speaking to your spouse earlier while you were texting. I pieced it together from there."

"So can I sit down now?"

Ayumi sighed and laughed. "Yes, yes you can sit down, now."

The woman twisted her look from side-to-side, paying no attention to the conversation spoken.

SNAP!

She let out what sounded like a frightened howl as Ayumi closed the distance between them, snapping in front of her face before pointing to it. She stared back at Ayumi, blinking lazily and grunting in confusion.

"Wh… what…?"

"Your wedding ring. Put it on."

Time seemed to stop for the woman.

"My… wedding ring? I'm not married."

"You're right. You're a widow now, aren't you?"

"Go to hell!" The woman stepped back rapidly, slamming her hand down onto a table she had felt collide with the top of her thighs. "I'm not married! I never was!"

"Empty your pockets."

"Excuse me?"

"Prove it. Prove to me that you aren't married. Empty your pockets."

The woman declined.

"Really? There are trained guards here who could do it for you?"

There was a silence as the two glared back at each-other.

Without further hesitation, she gracefully emptied her pockets to reveal her cell-phone, a stick of gum, and a wedding ring. "Okay, fine. I was married. I'm divorced now, though."

Ayumi remained unfazed. "Sure you are. Put the ring on."

"What?"

"Do it." Maria and Kyo turned to glance at Hiroto, who just shrugged his shoulders and bobbed his head to the side. "Aug! Fine!"

Resentfully, she slipped the ring onto her finger, Ayumi watching curiously. "There! HAPPY NOW?!"

Her arms extended and there was a cling against the wall. This caught the attention of everybody in the room. "Wow, your wedding ring is way loose!" Maria blinked, tilting her head to the side. Kyo watched as Ayumi picked up the ring, inspecting it with her back turned to the audience. Her face was hidden from view.

"What does my wedding ring have to do with anything?"

"That's just it. It's not your wedding ring that proves you're the culprit."

Ayumi held out the wedding ring in the palm of her hand. "It's his."

Not even bothering to turn, she continued. "Hiroto, have some of your men check for a similar ring. It should be on the hill itself, or on top of the restaurant."

"Yoshida, are you sure?"

"Positive."

Nodding, he brought a few guards away from the windows, giving them separate orders as the filed out of the building.

"The ring is dirty on the outside, but very clean on the inside- implying he slips it off a lot. So if Im' correct, he was cheating on you, wasn't he?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"This isn't the first time Maria has taken us here. In fact, we've done it right after watching the sunset up there on that hill. It's a four minute walk. You were in here for about twenty minutes before somebody found the body, and fresh from a murder, you weren't very hungry. You just ordered a cup of tea. Tea is well-known as a herb for a person's unease. Murders happen quickly, and if it was in the heat-of-the-moment, I can imagine it would only take about six minutes. Of course, I'm assuming that's what it was. You couldn't have invited him to the hill if you were planning to kill him. You would've known about the restaurant below. I take it he was the one who invited you out? Maybe he was asking you for a divorce… specifically to be with another woman?"

CLANK! CLANK! CLANK! CLANK!

Black leather hells didn't let up a beat as they moved frantically.

Ayumi turned quickly, gasping as Kyo gripped the charging woman's wrist and threw her across the room, twisting it behind her back. The crowd screeched and scattered as the criminal fell to the ground, dazed by the counter-attack. Maria was quick to join, straddling the woman and holding her wrists against her back. Ayumi and Kyo looked at each-other, their heavy breaths in rhythm with the others.

"I take it I was right, then?"

"Yoshida-san!" Hiroto came bounding back in, holding a plastic baggy with something tiny and gold, very well-kept and clean inside. "Her wedding ring?"

"Yep!"

Ayumi smiled. "I thought so."

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Ayumi glanced at her watch, viewing the little ticking machine as she waited for her internal bomb to go off- the one that would render her a youngling again.

"I'm going to have to go soon."

"You are?"

Kyo glanced over at her. He had seen the troubled looks on her face, and he now knew why she was giving them. "NO! AYUMI DON'T LEAVE!" Maria dropped to Kyo's tiled floor, wrapping her slender arms around her knees- shaking as violently as she could. Ayumi laughed half-heartedly. "I have to."

She sighed when Maria didn't stop shaking.

"Believe me, if I could stay… I would."

_Maybe then you two would finally tell me about your little secret…_

"Well," Kyo laid a hand onto her shoulder. "I promise I'll take care of Anna until you come back."

Weakly, Ayumi smiled at the sentiment, pulling her shoulder (rather roughly) away from his touch and her legs softly away from Maria's threatening grasp. "I'll see you guys later. Don't get into too much trouble while I'm gone, okay?"

She waved indolently to them, walking up to the door.

She was only half-way down the sidewalk before Kyo came running after her. "Ayumi!"

She twisted around and glanced back at him. "What's up?"

"I just… wanted to let you know that we really do want you home soon." He came to a halt in front of her, a soft smile playing against his lips for only her to see. "So you should get home again soon, okay?"

Ayumi stared back at him, expression unchanging.

"Yeah- I will."

Without another word, she twisted back around, continuing on her merry way.

Kyo stared after her, smile dropping, hands falling limply to his sides as the space grew between them for the last time for a while.

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"Oh… and Kyo?"

He stopped at his door, looking back to see Ayumi nodding at him over her shoulder, her eyes hidden by the bangs she kept. His heart stopped beating for a millisecond at the smile he saw.

It was beautiful, truly outstanding.

It was the prettiest smile she'd ever given him.

His hand fisted in its pocket.

Why was he in pain, then?

"Take care of Maria, will you?"

Her eyes revealed themselves from their hiding place, sparkly orbs of a crystal blue lost in reminiscence. He stared back into those eyes, frozen still in the heat of the night.

And before he knew it, they were gone. She walked away from him, out of his sight- off to places she wouldn't let him follow.

And he knew…

He understood what she meant, and somewhere inside of him, something broke. It was far from shattering, but he felt spare pieces drop to the pit of his stomach. She was gone. She would return, but time would only tell if she would return to _him_, and if he'd accept her with open arms.

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A year… it's been… a year since I've updated… oh dear god the GUILT! T.T

I don't even think anybody who was reading this is still FOLLOWING it, now! DX

I'm so sorry, everybody! I really have just been so stuck on where to continue with this story. I'm going to stray away from the mystery for a little while, because the mysteries are what keep me from continuing a good portion of the time.

If anybody is still reading this… thank you. Thank you so, so much for such loyalty to my story. I really appreciate it. I don't know if anybody will review again, or if anybody even remembers this story… but if you do then I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for sticking with this crap for so long. It's actually pretty much TWO years, isn't it…? Thank you, guys! (If there are any left… D:)

And I'd really like to hear your criticism of the story! If you think there's something I could do better- tell me what I could do better. Please don't just tell me that it's starting to suck and then not tell me WHY it was starting to suck…. Please? That doesn't benefit EITHER of us! XD

But, yes… I'm back. The story is back, and now I'm going to try to keep my little butt up with it.

I have no idea what the next 'episode' will be so… enjoy this:

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How much wood could a wood-chuck chuck if a wood-chuck could chuck wood?


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